Kingdom Anime II
by darkruler64
Summary: After a whole year, Sora awakes from a deep sleep to find that a lot has changed and the universe is much more complex than he ever imagined. Join Sora as he journeys to new worlds, faces an enemy greater than the Heartless, and meets over 20 new anime characters!
1. Memory Thief

"_A scattered dream that's like a far-off memory."_

"_A far-off memory that's like a scattered dream."_

"_I want to line the pieces up, yours and mine."_

Why was that voice so familiar? Roxas had heard it in his sleep more than once, but as far as he could tell, he had no idea who it belonged to. As he dragged himself out of bed, he forced the strange, yet familiar voice out of his mind. Roxas was fifteen years old, lived in Twilight Town, attended Twilight High School, like any boy his age, and had three friends; their names were Hayner, Pence, and Olette.

Hayner was lean and agile with dull blond hair and brown eyes. He was highly competitive and irritable. He was also steadfast and determined. Once he got an idea, he had to see it through, and when there were negative consequences, he faced them without regret.

Pence was a short, heavy, dark-haired boy with brown eyes. He was very laid-back and insightful. He didn't care much for academics, but had plenty of street smarts and extraordinary problem-solving skills. Pence was labeled a "geek" by the majority of his peers. He had an affinity for comics, trading cards, and action figures of all kinds.

Olette was a happy-go-lucky tomboy with brown hair and vivid green eyes. She was very book smart and committed. She got easily annoyed when Pence and Hayner didn't take school seriously. Olette was thoughtful and considerate and tried to have a positive effect on Hayner, who was more impulsive and aggressive.

As Roxas made his way down Market Street, he turned into a back alley where he found his friends in their favorite hangout. Hayner seemed to be having a heated discussion with Pence and Olette.

"Have you ever been this pissed off? Cuz I haven't!" Hayner ranted, before turning to acknowledge Roxas. "Nice of you to join us." he said curtly. "We have a situation."

"What situation?" Roxas asked complacently.

"You know how stuff's been going missing around town?" Olette asked and Roxas shook his head. "Well, apparently Seifer's been putting the blame on us."

"He's been going around telling people that we're thieves!" Hayner added, derisively.

"We all know Hayner's had a grudge against Seifer for a while." Pence pointed out, (Hayner hissed something under his breath) "So, if Seifer wants to think that we did it, I guess I can understand. Not that I'm trying to justify what he's doing." he was quick to add.

The three of them began contemplating what to do and Roxas assumed that they expected him to do the same. Thinking independently was never Roxas' strong point. For as long as he could remember, he had been a follower. But finally, he conceived an idea of his own.

"We could find the real thief." he said.

His three friends stared at him for a moment, making him wonder if what he said sounded stupid. Hayner was the first to stand.

"The first thing we should do is hear other people's viewpoints." He said.

Hayner lead them to the town square, where they questioned a few of the shopkeepers. Everyone reported the same thing, that their ****** had gone missing.

"So the thief's been stealing ******." said Olette.

"My ****** are gone too!" Pence piped up. "I thought I mighta just misplaced em', but it looks like the thief got them too!"

Now came the part everyone (except Hayner) dreaded most, confronting Seifer. Olette and Pence could see a savage eagerness in Hayner's eyes that concerned them. When they got to the sandlot, they found Seifer's teammates, Fuu and Rai. Rai was a large, strong, simple-minded boy. He was more brawn than brain, but he brought intimidation to the team. Fuu was a petite girl with white hair. She hardly ever spoke, and was the only person in the whole town who was less emotional than Roxas.

"Thieves!" she called, pointing to Hayner.

"That was low even for you, y'know?"

"We didn't steal anything, okay?" Hayner barked.

"Don't give us that!" said an obnoxious voice.

Seifer strolled over like he owned the place and came to a halt between Fuu and Rai. Seifer was nearly as tall as Rai, but leaner. He had green eyes, blond hair covered by a black tuque, and a sleeveless white coat.

"Those ****** prooved that we owned your asses! So, what did you do, burn em'?" he demanded. "Not that we need some ****** to prove that you're losers!" he added with a chuckle.

"Replay." said Fuu, with a wry smile.

"Now you're talkin'!" Seifer cackled. "I guess if you get on your knees and beg I'll let it slide."

To everyone's surprise, Roxas was the first to approach Seifer. It was the first time anyone would have seen him genuinely annoyed. Indeed, Roxas was annoyed. Seifer's arrogance stirred something within him, something he couldn't explain or identify.

"What, you got something to say?" Seifer demanded.

Roxas didn't say a word, but picked up a nearby struggle bat.

"Roxas!" he heard Olette gasp.

Seifer regarded Roxas for a moment before snatching a bat from Rai.

"Alright, kid!" he growled. "You asked for this."

Seifer began his assault, but Roxas was familiar with all his moves. He evaded or parried all of Seifer's attacks with ease.

"C'mon! Quit playin' around an-"

Before Seifer could finish his sentence, Roxas landed a blow to his jaw, and then another to his shoulder, knocking him down. It was a decisive defeat.

"Seifer's not feelin' so hot, y'know?" said Rai, rushing to Seifer's side.

"Shaddup, Rai." Seifer growled. "You beat me, but I'd still like to know what happened…"

Without warning, something small and grey streaked across the group, snatching Pence's camera.

"The thief!" Pence gasped

Roxas took off after the thing. He pursued it through the town square as it slithered, just inches above the ground. He chased it through the woods and it came to a sudden stop at the gates of the old mansion. As he examined the strange creature, he found that it was somehow familiar. It was small, grey, and fleshy. It had pointed, fin-like arms and legs, and had no face. Some sort of light grey symbol was emblazoned on its head; the symbol resembled an upside down heart with three spires protruding from it.

"_We…come…Roxas…"_

The whisper seemed to come from the creature.

"What are you?" Roxas asked.

The creature did not respond but dropped the camera, rushed forward, and swiped at Roxas with its long arms. Roxas struck it with the bat, but the creature wasn't even phased. It swung its legs and knocked Roxas back. It then stretched all four limbs and wrapped them around Roxas' wrists and legs. Some kind of black hole appeared behind it and it glided back, trying to drag Roxas inside. The creature was almost as strong as Roxas, but he was able to struggle and keep from being pulled into the hole. He continued to struggle for an unknown length of time, but just when he was starting to tire out, there was a flash of light and Roxas' bat transformed into a silver key. It was about as long as his arm, with a square yellow hand guard, and an orange ball-shaped keychain attached to the bottom. Clutching it seemed to restore his strength. The arm he clutched the key with broke free of the creature's grip and he swung it, severing the creature's other arm, then its legs. The creature retreated into the black hole, which closed, and the key transformed back into the struggle bat. Roxas picked up Pence's camera and noticed four…_photos…_lying on the ground. The creature must have dropped them.

"Roxas!"

Hayner was rushing up to him from the woods. Pence, Olette, and Seifer weren't far behind him. Roxas handed Hayner the photos and told him about the creature, though he didn't mention the strange key.

"So how are we gonna prove we weren't the ones who took these?" Hayner snapped.

"We all saw the creature." Pence reminded him. "Of course none of us got a good look at it like Roxas did."

"But no one's gonna believe us!" snapped Hayner.

"They'll believe me." said Seifer, snatching one of the photos from Hayner. "I'll take care of things…" he pointed at Roxas. "…but you owe me a rematch."

With that, he whirled around and stormed away.

"So, anyone else notice that the photos are all of Roxas?" asked Pence.

"Me?"

Hayner showed Roxas the three remaining photos; the first was of him and Biggs (Roxas was his first customer), the second was of him and Jessie, and the third was of him, Hayner, Pence, and Olette.

"The photo that Seifer snatched, Rai took it when Seifer beat you that day." Hayner added

"Wouldn't it be weird if the thief wanted to steal the real Roxas?" Pence wondered.

"Who'd wanna steal a bonehead like Roxas?" Hayner joked.

* * *

><p>DiZ sat at his computer, observing Roxas. The incident that just transpired was troubling him. Roxas could use the Keyblade again, he wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. Standing behind him was Ansem, the self-proclaimed "Seeker of Darkness."<p>

"Why would a Nobody steal photographs?" he asked.

"Who knows? Maybe their simple minds can't tell the difference." DiZ replied sardonically. "In any case, tell Namine to pick up the pace."

Ansem nodded and strode out of the lab. DiZ continued to monitor Roxas and the comatose Sora. He was certain that Roxas and Sora could be reunited, he had no evidence, but he was confident in this hypothesis. He just needed to determine how, and he needed to decide how to best make use of Sora when he awoke.

Axel stood on a balcony overlooking a large assembly line, not far from the castle. Hundreds of Dusks were hard at work, branding newly captured Dusks with the organization's logo and fitting them with the cybernetics that gave them the strength to perform the tasks given to them. A portal opened and a Dusk (which he presumed to be the one he sent out on recon) emerged. One of its arms and two of its legs were missing.

"What happened?" he muttered.

"_Roxas…Twilight Town." _The Dusk whispered.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: <strong>I have entrusted "Chain of Animemories" and "Birth by Anime" to my good friend ShaD.23. Keep an eye out for them on his profile, he will start them when he is ready.


	2. The Beach

Hayner, Pence, Olette, and Roxas sat in their hangout, bored out of their minds.

"Looks like today's gonna be a drag." Pence sighed.

"Well…how about we go to the beach?" Hayner suggested.

"Maybe you forgot, we're broke." said Olette.

"Maybe you forgot, I'm smart!" Hayner retorted, with a grin. "A lot of folks are offering odd jobs this week. We each take a job, try to earn at least two…maybe three hundred munny, and then meet at the station at noon. Agreed?"

Pence and Olette contemplated for a moment, while Roxas sat impassively.

"Agreed." The two of them said in unison.

The four of them spread out in search of folks in need of assistance. Roxas found a girl who wanted someone to perform Grandstander in front of a crowd for a show she was making. The object of Grandstander was to bat a ball into the air and keep it in the air for over a minute. Roxas pleased the girl and the crowd with his coordination, but the most the girl could pay him was fifty munny. He needed one more job, and he was fortunate enough to find it. The mailman wasn't well and needed someone to deliver today's mail. He gave Roxas a chart of his route and his son lent Roxas his skateboard. The skateboard enabled Roxas to deliver all the mail in about twenty eight minutes, which earned him two hundred munny. He went up to the station to wait for the others and found Hayner in the doorway.

"An old guy needed some help gettin' rid of some bees, so I chased em' away." He said, trying unsuccessfully not to sound too proud. "What did you do?"

"Played Grandstander for people, delivered mail." Roxas replied, handing Hayner the two hundred and fifty munny he earned.

It wasn't long before Pence and Olette arrived and handed over their earnings. Olette posted some flyers for the upcoming Struggle Tournament and Pence helped someone push a wagon full of cargo into his garage. Hayner quickly counted their combined earnings.

"One thousand one hundred and fifty munny." He counted. "This'll cover our tickets, easily."

"What about lunch?" asked Pence. "Will the remaining three hundred fifty be enough?"

"The four of us can split a melon, they're fifty munny. All drinks are twenty munny, that'll leave us with two hundred twenty to spend however we want."

He stuffed the two hundred and twenty into his pocket and Olette put the rest in her pouch. Suddenly they heard a groan coming from nearby, an old lady's case seemed to have come open and her possessions were scattered. Olette tossed her pouch to Roxas and she, Hayner, and Pence rushed over to help the lady. Roxas tucked the pouch into his pocket, he was about to join his friends when someone grabbed his shoulder from behind. A tall man in a long black, hooded coat pushed him violently against a wall. He leaned close, but Roxas still couldn't make out a face beneath the hood.

"Can you feel…Sora?" The stranger whispered.

"What?" Roxas didn't understand.

The stranger shoved Roxas onto the ground and scurried out the door. When he heard Hayner call him, he forced the strange encounter from his mind and rushed to join his friends. He reached into his pocket when Hayner asked him for the money, but the pouch was gone.

"That man!" Roxas gasped

He turned and bolted outside, ignoring the confused voices of his friends. When he got outside, he turned and rushed into the nearby tunnel, thinking that the pickpocket might have gone into the underground levels. There was no sign of the pickpocket down there. He turned around and saw his friends walking up to him.

"The train just left, Roxas." said Hayner, Roxas could hear cold disappointment in his voice. "C'mon, we still got enough for ice cream."

Roxas didn't feel like eating that afternoon, so he handed his ice cream bar to Hayner.

"I'm sorry." he muttered.

"It's not your fault." said Hayner dismissively. "Lighten up already."

"That was definitely weird, though." said Pence. "Who takes money from kids?"

"Scary…" Olette breathed. "I'm glad he didn't hurt you."

Her comforting words meant nothing to Roxas. He could only think of the hooded stranger. Why did he seem so familiar, and what was Sora?"

* * *

><p>"Is it so hard to make a beach?" Ansem wondered as he stood against a wall, clutching the munny pouch.<p>

"I'd be giving the Nobodies another entry point." said DiZ.

"What do I do with this?" Ansem asked, holding out the pouch.

"You could fetch me some sea-salt ice cream." DiZ said sardonically.

Ansem stared at DiZ, wondering what he was playing at.

"You can delete it over there." DiZ said, sounding serious again. Without taking his eyes off the screen, He pointed to the device they used to send Roxas into the digital town.

Ansem went over to the device, activated it and set it to "Delete." He hesitated, which was not common for him. He had no use for this munny, but Sora might. DiZ could not be trusted, Sora needed to get out of Twilight Town when he woke up.

"Done." Ansem lied. DiZ nodded, still focused on the monitors.

Ansem had one other ally, the one called Goku. He would give Goku the pouch and they would devise a way to get Sora, Krillin, and Gohan away from Twilight Town before DiZ found out.


	3. The Keyblade

_"__This world has been connected."_

"_The doorway has opened, Sora!"_

_"They'll come at you from out of nowhere…"_

_"We can travel to other worlds with our vessel."_

"_Sora, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends."_

Those voices…they were all familiar…but why? Roxas could not place them. They had never been in his mind before. Or had they? The name Sora, though…the hooded stranger had mentioned Sora. As he got out of bed, he forced the voices from his thoughts, for now. When he arrived at the hangout, he found a note waiting for him. It read:

_Roxas, meet us at the station at noon. Today we hit the beach._

He did not know how they were going to get there, unless one of them had somehow come up with eight hundred munny. When he got to Market Street, he found Olette and Pence.

"We're doing some last minute-shopping." said Olette "Do you need anything Roxas?"

"Uhhh…"

A girl at the end of the street in a white dress caught Roxas' attention. She appeared to be beckoning him to follow her.

"Okay, then. Meet us at the station."

Pence and Olette went on their way and Roxas hurried after the strange girl, wondering what she wanted with him. When he got to the tram common, he spotted her heading into the woods. When he made it to the woods there was no sign of her, but a black hole appeared and two creatures identical to the one he encountered two days ago emerged and grabbed him.

"Let Go!" he gasped as he pulled his arm free.

He turned and bolted out of the woods and toward the sandlot where Seifer, Fuu, and Rai were sparring.

"Hey, chicken wuss!"

Roxas didn't have time to deal with Seifer but the creatures appeared, forcing him to come to a halt.

"What are they?" Rai gasped.

"Dunno but they've already crossed the line." said Seifer, drawing his Gunblade.

"Time to get serious, Y'know?" said Rai, drawing his staff.

Fuu drew her weapon, a blue wheel-like blade she called "Missile blade." She tried to slash at one of the creatures, but it slunk around her with impossible grace.

"Creepy." She said.

Seifer and Rai were not faring much better as more of the creatures appeared. Roxas tried feebly to keep them away from him using a struggle bat, but it went straight through them.

"Roxas, use the Keyblade!"

It was the girl from earlier. She was standing on a balcony looking down at the battle. Before Roxas could ask her what she was talking about, one of the creatures struck him and everything went black.

When Roxas opened his eyes moments later, he found himself standing on some kind of circular platform made of stained glass, floating in a black void. Its design was intricate and colorful. The edges were lined with blue crown-shaped symbols and there was an image of a boy in the center. He looked a lot like Roxas, only younger and with brown hair. He also appeared to be sleeping. Roxas knew that this boy meant… something, but he did not know his name. He was surprised to see a set of stairs (also made of stained glass) appear at the edge of the platform. He threw caution to the wind and ascended it until he came to another platform. This one was even larger than the first. It was mostly red, black, and purple. Its edges were lined with black heart-shaped symbols outlined in red. In the center was another image of that same boy, but this image was unsettling. The boy appeared to be thrusting some kind of black weapon into his own chest.

There was a flash of light, and a sword vaguely resembling a key hovered before Roxas. It was not the same weapon he used against the first creature he encountered. It had a long, notched silver blade with silver and black spires attached to the edge, near the tip. The hand guard was black with small blade-like fins protruding from it. The hilt had a checkered pattern and there was a symbol on the base. It was the same symbol that the creatures had on their heads. There was even a silver spire-shaped keychain attached to the bottom.

_Keyblade…_

This weapon was called a Keyblade. As Roxas gripped its hilt, it felt warm and it seemed to be alive with power. Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him. He turned around slowly and saw a figure in a long black coat. It was not the same figure that assaulted him and took his money, though. This figure was shorter and slimmer than him. He approached it slowly, ready to defend himself if it tried to attack him. But nothing could have prepared him for what happened next; a titanic grey creature burst out of the cloak. It grew until it towered over Roxas. It had an incredibly thick hide and no face. It had two long, thick spires extending from its torso; one where each arm socket should have been and its massive arms were attached to the spires. A smoking black hole opened up in its chest and a web of thorny black and silver tendrils reached out.

Roxas maneuvered around the tendrils, sliding and zooming with speed and grace he never had before. The tendrils dissipated and the creature reached down with one of its massive arms, grabbed Roxas, and hurled him high above the platform. It expelled more thorny tendrils at him. He flipped and rolled in his descent to avoid the tendrils and drove the Keyblade into the creature's head. He let go of the hilt and dropped onto the platform as the creature wobbled and fell off the edge. The platform began to tip backward and Roxas had to summon the Keyblade and dig it into the surface to keep from falling. He looked down and saw the creature floating in the void below, it was holding a large silver orb in its hands and was pushing it up toward Roxas. He couldn't begin to imagine what would happen to him if the orb touched him and did not want to find out. He yanked the Keyblade out of the platform's surface and hurled it into the orb, shattering it into many fragments. The creature vanished and now Roxas was falling through endless blackness.

He continued to fall until a white light appeared and he dropped into it. It wasn't long until a white room came into focus. There was a large table in front of him and sitting at the opposite end was the girl from earlier. Now that Roxas could see her up close, he judged that she was pleasant to look at. She had short, light blond hair draped over her left shoulder, sea-blue eyes, and a bright, soft-featured face.

"My name is Namine." she said, her voice was soft and girlish but resonated mysteriously. "I've been watching over you for a few days."

"Why?"

She held up a sketch of the boy Roxas saw in the glass.

"Do you know who this is, Roxas?" she asked.

Roxas opened his mouth slightly, struggling to find an answer.

"S…Sora?"

Namine's smile widened and she nodded.

"Would you like me to tell you more, or would you rather remember on your own?"

"I…I'll…remember…" Roxas decided.

"Very well, then." said Namine "There's still time, Roxas. We'll meet again soon."

Roxas' vision was engulfed in white light again.

* * *

><p>Roxas' eyes flew open and he got hastily to his feet.<p>

"Relax." said a smug voice.

Roxas blinked and Seifer came into view, Roxas was back in the sandlot.

"The freaks are gone now, y'know?" said Rai.

"Yeah, an' if they ever come back, I'll have to take disciplinary measures." Seifer added with an insufferable grin.

"Oh yeah! Seifer's always lookin' after the town, y'know?"

"Roxas!"

It was Pence. He, Hayner, and Olette were standing by the alley. Hayner didn't look happy, he turned and stormed back up the alley and Roxas ran after him.

"Hey, no chickening out of the tournament tomorrow!" he head Seifer bark.

When Roxas got to the hangout, he found his friends sitting, looking upset.

"What were you doing with Seifer's gang?" Hayner asked.

Roxas told them about the creatures, about how one of them knocked him out, and about how Seifer's gang made them go away. He didn't tell them about his dream or the girl called Namine, though. They all seemed satisfied with what he told them.

* * *

><p>"I'm not sure what's happening, but it looks as though Namine tampered with the data and put herself in." said DiZ. "She's out of line."<p>

"She did prevent the children from going to a nonexistent beach." Ansem pointed out. "She saved you a bit of trouble."

"Yes…" DiZ grumbled. "…just as long as she finishes with Sora in time."


	4. The Struggle Tournament

"You and I have to make the finals!" Hayner said to Roxas as they headed to the sandlot where the tournament was being held. "That way, no matter who wins, the four of us can split the prize."

"You two are gonna clean house!" said Pence.

The Struggle Tournament was held once a year, during the summer. Setzer was the undefeated champion, only Seifer had ever come close to beating him. As the current champion, Setzer did not have to fight until the final match. When they arrived, they found the referee standing on the stage and standing next to him was Biggs, who had volunteered to be the announcer this year. Seifer, Fuu, and Rai were among the participants, as well as some other kids. Roxas was also surprised to see Vivi among them. Vivi was a strange little creature who came to Twilight Town not long ago. He seemed to admire Seifer's gang, but Roxas had never seen him fight.

"Welcome, strugglers!" Biggs announced. "For those of you who are new to this tournament, the rules are relatively simple; you and your opponent will attempt to disarm or knock each other off the stage. You may use any non-lethal weapon you want. You may not use your bear hands at any time; however you may kick your opponent if he or she is close to the edge. You may not hit your opponent below the belt or anywhere in the face. If you cause your opponent any serious injuries, such as broken bones, you will be disqualified. Now, you have each been paired with an opponent to start out with. When I call your names, you will step onto the stage and struggle on the referee's command!"

He began with Rai and a younger boy. Rai didn't have to do much; he used his size to intimidate the boy and made a wild lunge. The boy staggered back to the edge and Rai shoved him off hard with his foot. The next match was between Seifer and some lanky, punkish boy. The boy seemed to have some primitive skill with a club, but Seifer easily disarmed him with his bokken (a wooden katana used for training). Next up was Fuu…and Vivi, of all people. Fuu used a discus in place of her Missile Blade while Vivi used a standard struggle bat.

Fuu was swift and relentless (she had to be since she was not permitted to throw her weapon) but Vivi was astonishingly agile, he flipped backward and from side to side to avoid Fuu's attacks. At one point he jumped onto Fuu's back and bounced off, causing her to falter. He then sprung toward her and struck her in the midsection, causing her to fall back and drop her discus. Normally she kept her face carefully neutral, but now her surprise was plain for everyone to see, though she was not alone. Roxas also wondered how Vivi became so skilled.

"There's something off about Vivi." he heard Seifer mutter as he went to face Rai.

Roxas couldn't take his eyes off Vivi as Seifer and Rai fought. Normally, Vivi was bubbly and child-like, but he was so quiet now, and the way he moved was almost…mechanical. It wasn't long before Seifer performed a flying kick, broke Rai's training staff in half, and sent him tumbling off the stage. Rai didn't seem too hurt by his defeat, as he was rooting for Seifer when he was about to go up against Vivi.

"He he he…" Vivi's laugh was colder and more mechanical sounding than his usual laugh.

"You won't be laughing when I plant my foot in your ass." Seifer growled.

"Language, Seifer." the referee said gently, but Seifer ignored him.

Vivi made the first move, clearly wanting to end this quickly. He didn't relent for a moment and he was somehow defying gravity, Seifer was barely managing to block Vivi's strikes. After maybe twenty seconds, Vivi dealt a sharp blow to Seifer's wrist, knocking his bokken from his hand. He then flipped behind Seifer and struck him hard in the back, it was over. Seifer cursed quietly to himself and stormed off the stage.

"Whoever or whatever that is, It's not Vivi." he hissed to Roxas.

Roxas watched as Hayner went on stage. His opponent was a wild girl named Excel. When the referee gave the command, Excel went on the offensive immediately. Her weapon of choice was a squid…of all things, she flailed it around wildly, yelling and gibbering (Excel was like that). She was fast and strong, but Hayner was much cleverer and not as clumsy. When he was close to the edge, he leapt over her, kicked her in the rear and she fell off the stage.

"The next match is between Roxas and Vivi!" Biggs announced.

"Thrash em'." Seifer hissed behind Roxas.

Roxas nodded and stepped onto the stage. As soon as he did this, Vivi lunged at him, ignoring the referee's protests. Somehow, Roxas knew right away he could beat Vivi. Vivi was quick and agile but it didn't take Roxas long to notice that Vivi kept using the same moves in a pattern. He watched as Vivi began flipping and twirling in midair, it was the perfect opportunity for Roxas to strike him, but his timing had to be exact, or he would miss and Vivi would strike his legs when he landed. He waited until Vivi flipped toward him, and then he lunged forward when Vivi was facing downward and struck him hard in the back. Vivi skidded across the stage but came to an unexplainable halt before he went off the edge. All was silent, Roxas looked around and saw that everyone was frozen in their tracks; their expressions suggested that they were in the process of yelling…cheering. It looked as though time had somehow stopped. Suddenly Roxas heard what sounded like clapping behind him.

"Roxas…alright…fight fight fight…" said a snide voice.

It was a young man, maybe a few years older than Roxas. He had very long, spiky crimson hair, sea-green eyes, and a narrow face. He also wore a black cloak, but Roxas could tell by his voice and skinny frame that he wasn't the man who took his munny.

"It's Axel!" the stranger said putting his thumb to his chest.

"Axel…" Roxas repeated. Was that this guy's name?

"Yeah, that's my name! Got it memorized?" The stranger asked, rapping a finger against his temple.

Roxas stared at the man who called himself "Axel." The harder he looked, the more he felt like he knew this man from somewhere.

"Talk about blank with a capital 'B'." he said.

"Wait…tell me what's going on." said Roxas.

"This town's someone's creation." said the man called Axel. "Which means we don't have time for a Q&A. Your coming with me, conscious or not. Then you'll hear the story."

Roxas was certain of two things, he didn't like being threatened and he was getting tired of this enigma."

"What's going on?" he demanded, hurling his struggle bat aside. As soon as he did this, the _Keyblade _appeared before him and he reached out and grabbed it.

"Number thirteen, Roxas, the Keyblade's chosen one…" Axel stated "…one of them anyway."

Axel then conjured two bladed wheel-like weapons, not unlike Fuu's.

"Alright." Roxas said, readying himself for battle. "You asked for this."

Roxas could see that there was no reasoning with this man, so he dashed forward and started slashing and thrusting the Keyblade, it felt almost natural.

"That's more like it!" Axel growled in apparent delight.

He skillfully parried Roxas' slashes and evaded his stabs. He then cartwheeled to the right and Roxas noticed that his weapons were spinning inches away from his fingertips. They were also generating considerable heat. Axel flung his now burning weapons at Roxas, who rolled back and let them go roaring over him.

"Am I ringing any bells yet?" Axel called in a somewhat mocking manner.

Roxas readied himself for more. For the moment, he assumed that this man must be trying to confuse him. He wouldn't listen to a word the man said.

"No? Well, I guess I'll give you some time to think then. Nice guy that I am."

Black smoke began engulfing Axel. It formed an ellipsoid around him and it quickly vanished, he was gone. Next thing Roxas knew, the sandlot was full of cheers; time was in motion again. Roxas looked to the edge of the stage and saw Vivi getting to his feet; he was scratching his head as though he did not know what was going on. Could the man called Axel or maybe the grey creatures have been controlling him somehow?

"The semifinal will commence immediately!" Biggs cried. "This match will be between Roxas and his best friend, Hayner!"

"Don't hold back, Roxas!" Pence shouted as Hayner stepped onto the stage.

"Remember your friendship, boys!" Olette called out.

On the referee's command, Hayner went on the offensive and Roxas began evading and parrying his strikes. Hayner's fighting style was different from Roxas'. Hayner used only one hand and kept his grip loose, free movement was his biggest priority. He wasn't very good at blocking or counterattacking, so he had to keep moving around his opponent. He usually ended up scoring a critical hit before Roxas could wear him down, but Roxas bet that with a sharp blow, he could knock Hayner's bat away.

"C'mon, quit messin' with me!" Hayner snapped.

When Hayner started to reach back, Roxas knew in an instant that he was going to thrust. He shifted to the right as Hayner made his thrust and knocked his bat into the air. Hayner made an impressive jump to catch his bat, but he was too close to the edge. Roxas hurled himself forward and whacked Hayner in the back, knocking him off the stage.

"What a tactic!" Biggs exclaimed over the cheers. "Not even friendship will stop this kid, and Hayner put up a good fight too!"

"My back…" Hayner groaned as Roxas helped him to his feet. "Guess I taught you well."

"That was a lot of fun." Roxas said, hoping to keep Hayner in good spirits.

"Not for me, wise guy." Hayner sneered.

Hayner sat on a bench and Olette started rubbing his back. As Setzer stepped onto the stage, Roxas wondered if Hayner was going to cheer for him.

"How about you throw the match for me?" Setzer requested. "I'll make it worth your while."

It took a few seconds for Roxas to realize that he wasn't joking.

"No way." he said.

"When someone makes you an offer, you really should accept it." Setzer said politely. "Now you'll have to learn the hard way."

Roxas went on the offensive as soon as the first syllable escaped from the referee's mouth, determined to end this quickly. Setzer however danced around Roxas and delivered a few powerful thrusts, which didn't hurt much but served to irritate Roxas. He then pulled his cape off and tossed it off the edge of the stage for some girls to catch and took a moment to address them. Roxas took advantage of Setzer's cockiness by throwing himself toward him and striking him hard in the side of the head. He stumbled and fell off the stage, it was over.

"Decisive Defeat!" Biggs cried "The winner is my best customer, Roxas!"

Everyone in the sandlot was now cheering for Roxas, including those who once supported Setzer. As the crowd lifted Roxas, he noticed Rai start clapping and Seifer hit him on the head for it. He also saw Setzer standing high and mighty, pointing at him. Somehow he knew what Setzer was doing, he was trying to make it look like he let Roxas win, but no one was paying attention to him. There was a feeling within Roxas that he couldn't identify…pride, perhaps.

Roxas sat on the edge of the clock tower with his friends. This was their favorite place to watch the sunset. He pulled the four removable crystals (green, orange, blue, and yellow) off the trophy and tossed three of them to his friends.

"You think we'll be together like this forever?" Pence asked all of a sudden.

"Where'd that come from?" Hayner asked, sounding strangely surprised.

"Oh, you know…just thinking out loud."

"Well, I doubt we can be together forever." Hayner reasoned. "Isn't that what growing up is about?"

As soon as Hayner said this, Roxas' grip on his crystal slackened and it slipped from his fingers. Without thinking, he leaned down to catch it and slipped off the edge. As he fell, he flailed his arms feebly. When he looked up, he saw that none of his friends seemed to acknowledge that he had fallen. Before he hit the balcony below, blackness engulfed his vision.

After an unknown length of time, Roxas regained some level of consciousness, but he was still surrounded by darkness. As he tried to remember what had happened to him, a dark bedroom came into view. It was not his own bedroom and he was looking down on it from a bird's eye view. As far as he could tell, he had no body. There was a girl lying asleep in a bed. For a moment, he thought it was Namine.

"Namine…" he whispered weakly.

The girl slowly opened her deep blue eyes.

"Who's…there?" she muttered sleepily.

"N…Namine?"

"Who…are you?" the girl muttered, trying weakly to reach up and touch Roxas. "And…my name's not…"

Before Roxas could say or hear anything else, the girl and the room dissolved into blackness and he lost consciousness again.

* * *

><p>DiZ sat before his monitors, where he had been for four days and four nights without food or sleep. He was observing Roxas' dream. He wasn't sure what was happening, but it looked as though Roxas' mind had come into contact with Kairi's. DiZ was a bit more concerned about the Nobodies that were interfering. How long before they got Roxas, how long before they found Sora?<p> 


	5. The Seven Wonders

Roxas and his friends sat in their usual spot debating what would be the best subject for their Independent Studies essay.

"It's gotta be something no one else is likely to think of." Olette concluded, Hayner and Pence agreed.

"We could study some stuff…that's been happening to me." Roxas suggested.

They all gave him curious looks.

"What stuff?" asked Pence.

"I've been having these…dreams…" Roxas began, knowing full well how awkward he sounded. "I get nostalgic feelings…I can't explain them."

"Sounds iffy." said Hayner "Sorry, man but it's not much to go on."

"What about those creatures?" Roxas asked, "The grey things?"

"We don't know anything about them, no one does." Olette argued. "We wouldn't be able to fill half a page."

"I've got something perfect!" Pence piped up, "Mind you, I've been doing my own research already."

"What've you got?" Hayner asked skeptically.

"I call them The Seven Wonders of Twilight Town!" said Pence "There's a total of seven rumors; we'll start with the ones we can debunk easily."

"Where do we start?" asked Hayner.

"Well, the steps at Sunset Station." Pence began "We use them all the time without thinking, right? Well, apparently the number of steps changes."

"Sounds lame." Hayner sneered.

"Maybe, but if we can debunk it easily we'll have something to write about. All in favor?"

Olette's hand shot into the air and Roxas hesitantly raised his hand. Hayner simply shrugged.

"The time has come. Our hunt for the seven wonders begins." Pence narrated as they got off the train.

Pence showed them the steps and Hayner counted thirteen going down to the landing. He looked back up, counted thirteen again, and questioned Pence.

"Who'd you hear this rumor from?"

"Rai." Pence replied. "He was like 'Every time I count, it's different! Y'know?'" he added with a passable impression of Rai's mannerisms.

"So he just counted wrong." Olette concluded.

"That settles this wonder." Hayner added, "Rai's an idiot."

"What are the other six wonders?" Olette inquired.

Pence showed them a map of Sunset Terrace and Sunset Hill where five more of the seven wonders were conveniently located. The nearest wonder was in an alley where grandstander balls would bounce out and startle people, as though an invisible force were throwing them. Pence volunteered to investigate this one. Hayner and Olette volunteered to investigate one of the wonders on Sunset Hill. Apparently, there was a large sack sitting up there that came to life and started bouncing around.

Roxas was sent into the tunnels to investigate two wonders. There were rumors of a low moan in the waterway and periodically, a shady young boy was said to appear and attack people with a baseball bat. He was dubbed "Lil' Slugger." As Roxas made his way to the waterway, he did hear a moan which seemed to be coming from a vent in the upper right corner. As Roxas headed deeper into the tunnels though, he heard the unmistakable sound of wheels rolling. He turned around and saw a small boy speeding toward him on roller blades. His eyes were hidden beneath a red baseball cap, but he had a wide, malignant grin and was brandishing a bent, gold baseball bat. The Keyblade appeared in a flash of light and Roxas grabbed it in time to block Lil' Slugger's first swing. He jumped down into the concourse and Lil' Slugger jumped down and continued his assault. Roxas blocked each blow, but the impact was considerable. One of Lil' Slugger's blows knocked the Keyblade from Roxas' hands and Lil' Slugger chuckled, a soft, snide chuckle. Roxas rolled to his left as Lil' Slugger took another swing and snatched the Keyblade by the hand guard. Before he even realized what he'd done, he held the Keyblade in reverse and swung it, slicing through Lil' Slugger with ease. As soon as the blade passed through Lil' Slugger, Roxas' vision became strangely pixilated and engulfed in static, the kind Roxas saw on television screens. It lasted for a few moments and the next thing Roxas knew, he was back outside the tunnels.

"Finished?"

It was Pence, he finished investigating the alley and offered the wind as an explanation for the balls moving. Roxas stood speechless for a few moments before weakly mentioning the vent in the waterway. Surprisingly, Pence did not question him about Lil' Slugger. When they reached the top of Sunset Hill, Hayner and Olette were waiting. Hayner revealed that there was a dog inside the sack. Olette let it out while Hayner held the sack in place. Neither of them questioned why someone would put a dog inside a sack, nor did they question Roxas about his encounter in the tunnels.

"What's next, Pence?" asked Hayner.

"Wonder Number Six, the Snake Train!" Pence replied.

"Snake Train?"

"Yeah, they say a train with a snake's head comes by from time to time."

"That's gotta be made up." Hayner remarked.

"Afternoon, slackers."

Seifer came strolling up the hill; it was hard to tell what kind of mood he was in.

"Whacha doing up here?"

"Whaddyou care?" grumbled Hayner.

"I don't. Tell me anyway." Seifer ordered.

"We're waiting for the snake train." Pence said.

Seifer scoffed.

"Snake train…how do you kids always find new ways to piss me off?"

"Maybe it's destiny." Hayner retorted.

"Destiny…in that case, let's be friends." Seifer's every word stank of sarcasm. He turned and began marching off.

"Seifer!" Olette called.

"I know!" Seifer called back, "Tomorrow!"

"There!"

Roxas could see it, a long silver train with armored scales and a finned snake's head at the front end. It rolled silently through the tunnel in the hillside; it must have been heading for Sunset Station. He ran down the hill and across the terrace to the station. When he made it to the station, he found the train sitting there. He was about to jump off the platform to examine it more closely when someone tugged him back, he turned around and saw that it was Hayner.

"You'll get hit." Hayner said flatly.

Roxas whirled around to see that the Snake Train was gone, as though it were never there. It wasn't long before the regular train came in and released its passengers.

"It was here!" Roxas exclaimed, unable to contain his frustration and confusion. "You saw it, right?"

None of them replied, they stepped inside the regular train and Roxas reluctantly did the same. No one spoke on the ride back. Had Roxas really been the only one who saw the Snake Train?

"Now for the essay." Olette said, almost mechanically.

"The rumors were bogus. The end." Hayner said with an equal lack of feeling.

"What…about…wonder…seven?" Roxas asked awkwardly.

"Who cares?" Hayner returned.

"It's at the old mansion." Pence answered.

"I'm going." Roxas decided and he started down the hill to the tram common.

"You're wasting your time!" Hayner called after him, as soon as he said this Roxas quickened his pace. He had to get away from those three right now. He ran through the tram common and through the woods, he did not stop until he reached the mansion gates. The gates were chained and locked as always but he had heard that no one had lived there for years. He spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked at the upper left window and saw a girl looking down at him, who he immediately recognized as Namine. There was a flash of white light before Roxas' eyes and he found himself sitting back in the white room across from Namine.

"I…I don't understand what's happening to me, Namine." he said, without preamble.

"Understandable." Namine said with a polite nod. "Roxas, it's hard for me to say this…but time is running out…for both of us."

"What do you mean?"

"You and I are the same, Roxas." Namine said, looking more and more solemn. "Neither of us was meant to…exist."

Roxas stared dispassionately back at her, unable to decide whether or not to believe it. She held up a sketch of the boy Roxas recognized as Sora.

"Look, Roxas." she said softly. "This is who you once were and who you are truly meant to be."

Roxas stared at the drawing. The boy called Sora gave him a sense of familiarity that he wasn't sure he liked.

"I don't believe you." He said finally.

He was Roxas and no one else; right now that was what made sense and what he had to believe. He could see something like disappointment on Namine's smooth face.

"Come back to this mansion tomorrow and you will understand." she said. "But for now…rest."

Darkness slowly obscured Roxas' vision and in moments, he was asleep.

* * *

><p>Ansem sat across from DiZ in the mansion's ruined dining hall.<p>

"Why did you show him the train?" he asked

"Because he missed the trip to the beach." DiZ replied. As before, it was hard to tell if he was being serious. "Now then, are the holes in your memories starting to fill?"

Ansem wasn't sure how to answer so he gave the answer that he expected DiZ wanted to hear.

"Yes."

"I see...in that case, I would like you to eliminate Namine."

"Eliminate Namine..." Ansem repeated. "Now?"

"No, as soon as Sora awakens."


	6. The Last Day

It was relatively common for teenagers to dread getting up in the morning. None so much as Roxas, though. He was back in his own room and was going to have to go to that mansion for answers he wasn't sure he wanted. He didn't want anything to change, but it seemed like something he couldn't prevent. As he left his house and headed toward the hangout he couldn't help thinking, if he couldn't be in control of his life, maybe he shouldn't exist anymore. He entered the hangout and found Hayner, Pence, and Olette, no doubt getting ready to go to the fair. He reached out to touch Pence, but his hand went straight through him. Before Roxas knew what was happening, the three of them flickered out of existence.

"_Maybe I already don't exist." _he thought, as he left the hangout.

Everything he associated with his home suddenly seemed fake, so what was real?

"Look at what it's come to." said a familiar voice.

It was the man called Axel.

"I've been given these shitty orders to destroy you if you don't come back with me." he said, not sounding sorry. "So, what's it gonna be, Roxas?"

The more Roxas stared back at Axel, the more he felt as if he knew him.

"Are you…my friend?" He asked, fully aware of how awkward the question was.

"Sure…" Axel muttered. "…but I'm not getting turned into a Dusk for…wait a second! You remember now?"

Roxas nodded, he still wasn't sure if he knew this man, but he figured he may as well give him the answer he wanted.

"Good, but I gotta make sure an' all so…what's the boss's name?"

Roxas didn't have an answer this time, he could only stare. Axel gave him a disappointed look and a silver creature appeared in front of him. It had four blades attached to each of its segmented arms, long pointed, toeless feet and a small purple bud which may have passed for a head between its shoulders. Roxas summoned the Keyblade with strangely unsurprising effort as another of the creatures appeared behind him. Both creatures spun saw-like toward him and he rolled aside and let them crash into each other. He then hacked them apart and turned to face Axel.

"I gotta do everything myself?" he sighed, summoning his weapons. "I like you, kid. But I like existing more."

It looked as though he were about to fling his weapons at Roxas when all of time seemed to stop, just like at the tournament two days ago.

"Roxas, I'm waiting for you at the mansion."

He recognized the voice as Namine's, it seemed to be coming from above. This was his chance, so he dashed through the sandlot, the tram common and the woods and came to a halt at the mansion gates. He thought of attempting to climb over them when he had a vision:

_He saw himself pointing the Keyblade at a great big keyhole._

He examined the Keyblade for a minute and pointed it reluctantly at the lock. A thin white beam shot out of the Keyblade's tip and into the lock. It disappeared, along with the wall and the gates. Roxas was about to walk to the front doors when a series of visions came to into his mind:

_He was standing in a round, white room and several people in black cloaks were seated around him, Axel was among them._

"_Number Thirteen, Roxas." said the one seated highest above him._

_He was sitting next to Axel on the edge of the clock tower._

"_You and me, we're friends. Got it memorized?" Axel asked in his snide voice._

_He and Axel were in a grey room with a few windows, it was dark outside._

"_I'm leaving. I'm not coming back." he said._

"_You can't walk out on the organization!" Axel barked at him._

_He was standing in front of the mansion gates facing Axel, who had his weapons drawn._

"_GO AHEAD! JUST KEEP RUNNING!" Axel shouted, "I'll bring you back every time!"_

A sharp smack brought Roxas painfully back to his senses. He had been struck by one of the creatures. He summoned the Keyblade in less time than it took to contemplate and stabbed it before it could pin him down.

"Not bad, Roxas!"

"Axel!" Roxas shouted, readying himself.

"You do remember me this time! I'm so flattered!" Axel jeered "BUT IT'S TOO LATE!"

Crimson flames erupted, forming a circle around them. Axel summoned his weapons and Roxas' Keyblade transformed again. It was white with a feathery wing-shaped hand guard, two shafts, a colorful tooth, and a star-shaped keychain. Roxas recognized it as the _Oathkeeper._ Another Keyblade had appeared in his left hand, a thick, black one with a bat wing-shaped hand guard, which Roxas recognized as the _Oblivion_. Ignoring the nostalgia, Roxas flipped to the right as Axel sent a wave of flames at him. Roxas charged toward Axel but came to a screeching halt and rolled back when Axel's burning weapons started spinning around him. He then started slashing at Roxas, who managed to parry each strike. Roxas did a mid-air spin and struck Axel rapidly, knocking him back a few feet.

"BURN, BABY!"

Axel sped toward Roxas, leaving a trail of flame behind him. Roxas jumped higher than he thought possible and shot a beam of golden light from the Oathkeeper's tip. The beam hit Axel in the torso and he hit the ground. When Roxas landed, he fired a volley of smoking black orbs from the Oblivion. The orbs burst on contact with Axel and prevented him from getting up. Roxas approached him but he sprung upward and kicked Roxas in the chest, sending him tumbling back. Axel then leapt higher than Roxas.

"MEMORIZE THIS!"

He fused both his weapons into one large one and prepared to cast it downward. Before he could throw it though, Roxas launched another dark orb which caused the weapon to explode in a shower of flames. Roxas sprung to his feet as Axel landed without so much as a burn on him.

"I'm fireproof…you're not." he sneered, summoning two new weapons identical to his old ones.

Axel sank into the ground and Roxas saw a red glow form under his feet. He leapt back, narrowly avoiding being scorched by a geyser of flames. Axel burst up from the ground and continued to slash at Roxas, spinning his weapons and generating immense heat with each strike. Axel seemed to be tiring out but he was pushing Roxas dangerously close the the ring of flames around them. He flipped over Axel, suffering minor burns from the spray of flames and sparks Axel sent at him. Before Axel could turn around, Roxas swung both Keyblades in an X, slicing deep into Axel's back. Finally, Axel dropped his weapons and collapsed onto the ground.

"Hey…buddy…let's meet again…in the next life." he said weakly, as darkness began engulfing him. "Oh, wait…I won't have a next life." he added with a weak chuckle.

The darkness completely engulfed Axel and then it all evaporated; Axel was gone and Roxas felt surprisingly detached. He opened the mansion doors and walked slowly through the ruined foyer. He then found his way up the stairs and into the white room, where Namine was waiting.

"Are you beginning to understand, Roxas?" she asked as Roxas sat across from her.

Roxas nodded.

"Namine, what's going to happen to me? Tell me the truth, nothing else matters now."

"You're going to reunite with Sora." Namine said with a smile.

"Reunite?"

"Yes, Roxas. You are part of Sora. He needs you and you…"

Before she could finish, she dissolved into a cluster of pixels and vanished. Another figure appeared in her place. He was tall and imposing. He had a long red cape draped over his shoulders. Underneath the cape, he wore a black robe with three pouches and several leather belts. His face was almost completely wrapped in red cloth, leaving only a single amber eye exposed.

"There is no knowledge that has the power to change your fate." He said. His voice was deep and morbid. He speech was sophisticated, his tone cold and commanding.

"I don't care if it does. I want…I want…"

"You want what?" The strange man asked.

Roxas hung his head. He didn't even know what he wanted anymore.

"I thought so." the man said

"I want…to be free!" Roxas decided "I have a right to be free!"

"A Nobody doesn't have a right to be free." the man countered. "You only exist because you serve a purpose."

"What purpose?"

Before the strange man could answer, a black hole opened and Namine emerged.

"Roxas, Nobodies like us are only half a person." she said hurriedly. "You need to be whole again!"

Someone else stepped out of the black hole, he was taller than the man in red and wore a black cloak. It was the man who attacked Roxas and took the munny from him.

"I will handle this, Namine." said the man in red.

"Roxas, I promise we'll meet again!" Namine called out as the man in red turned her forcefully around.

"Come, Namine." the man in black grumbled.

"You may not recognize me, but I promise…"

The man in black took Namine's wrist and pulled her into the black hole.

"Wait!"

Roxas ran toward the hole but it closed before he could reach it.

"I wanna talk to Namine!" Roxas demanded.

"This is more important." said the man in red. "Follow me."

Not knowing what else to do, Roxas followed the man across the hall to what appeared to be some sort of study. He went to the table and touched a golden glyph that was etched into it. The table it up and vanished. The floor where the table once was lit up as well and the man in red stepped back. The floor disappeared to reveal a short stairway. Roxas followed the man in red down the stairs and through a mechanical door. There was some kind of lab full of computers inside. The man in red pressed a button on a console and a ray of light shone down on a small platform just large enough for one man to stand on.

This machine will take you to the outside world." he said, "It will take you to Sora. I'll be waiting for you."

Before Roxas could question him, he vanished, leaving Roxas alone in the lab. Roxas was about to touch the strange machine when his attention was drawn to a set of monitors to the left. Looking at the screens made Roxas' head hurt and one last vision came into his mind:

_It was himself…no, it was Sora! He was in a dark lab much like this one, hacking some kind of machine apart._

When the vision cleared, Roxas felt compelled to act it out. He summoned the Keyblade and began smashing the monitors, sending sparks flying. When he finished, he had not felt as though he had achieved anything. There was nothing left to do now but step onto the platform. He did so and his vision was engulfed in light, when it cleared he stepped off the platform and found himself in the same lab…or was it?

He looked at the monitors and saw that they were all intact, shut off but intact. He also noticed that his clothes had changed. Instead of his usual white outfit, he was wearing a black cloak. A door in the back of the lab slid open and Roxas made his way down a hall. He came to a stop when he came to two glass pods. Inside the first pod was a short bald man dressed in a blue and lavender robe. In the second pod was a boy, about Seifer's age and height with spiky black hair, dressed in a red and blue uniform. Roxas also noticed a shield and some kind of staff lying on a shelf nearby. At the end of the hall was a round room with another pod in the center, and standing in front of the pod was a life-sized hologram of the man in red.

"What do you want from me?" Roxas asked.

"I want someone who can move through the realms of light and darkness to destroy my enemies." said the man in red. "But you cannot serve me properly until you and Sora…are one."

"What if I don't join with him?" Roxas asked. "What will happen to me?"

"Sora will never wake up." the man in red said matter-of-factly. "And you will disappear forever."

Roxas glared at the man in red, this man didn't care about Roxas or Sora.

"What is your choice?" he asked.

Without warning, Roxas summoned the Keyblade and smashed the projector on the floor. The hologram flickered for a moment and then it was gone. Roxas touched a button on the pod and it slid open to reveal a boy. He was the exact same size as Roxas and their faces were identical. He had rich, spiky brown hair. He was dressed in a short black and white jacket over a red jumpsuit that went down to his knees, white fingerless gloves, and yellow boots. This was Sora in the flesh, and Roxas finally understood were he belonged. He and Sora were once one boy, and now they needed to be one again. For the first time in Roxas' existence, everything felt…right. He wasn't going to disappear, he and Sora would live forever…as one.

"Sora, you're lucky." he said, placing his hand on Sora's chest. "My summer vacation…is over." he added with a stoic smile.


	7. Awakening

Everything was black, and all was silent. Was Sora dreaming? He wasn't sure. Through the darkness, he could make out a boy standing before him, smiling. He was dressed in white and had golden hair, and his face looked so much like Sora's.

"Sora!" the boy called out. "Wake up!"

"Who…are…you?" Sora whispered

"Sora." said a different voice, one that Sora recognized instantly.

He opened his eyes and the faces of two of his best friends, Krillin and Gohan came into focus.

"How long have I been asleep?" Sora yawned.

"No idea." said Gohan.

"We just woke up, ourselves." Krillin added with a shrug.

"Where are we?" Sora wondered. "I can't remember how we got here!"

"Let's see…we defeated Ansem…" Gohan began.

"More like Ansem defeated himself." Sora corrected him. That much Sora remembered.

"We got out of the Realm of Darkness, and we ended up on that country road, and…that's all I can remember." Gohan admitted, a large bead of sweat running down his head.

"Well, let's try and find out where we are." Krillin suggested.

Sora, and Gohan agreed. They made their way out of the strange lab and began exploring the mansion. No one appeared to be home. In fact, the whole place looked as though no one had lived in it for years, save for one room. It was a plain white room with all kinds of drawings hanging on the walls. The drawings were all really good; there was one of Sora, Kairi, and Riku; there was one of Sora fighting Shadows with Krillin and Gohan, there were sketches of the bathhouse where they met Chihiro, the carcass of Inuyasha's father, the ocean world where he met Misty, Magnus Lee's castle, Hollow Bastion's entrance hall, and another castle Sora didn't recognize. There was even a sketch of the golden-haired boy Sora saw in his sleep. Sora looked around the room for a bit and found a note on the table.

_Sora, these sketches are for you._

That was all it said. Sora couldn't begin to guess who might have made them, but he carefully pulled each sketch off the wall nevertheless. He ran downstairs, showed them to Krillin, and told him about the note. Krillin conjured a folder, placed the sketches inside, shrunk it, and placed it in Gohan's pouch. Finally, they put the mansion behind them and started exploring the Town, which they quickly discovered was called Twilight Town. It was a bright and warmly colored town with a tram and lots of shops. Sora licked his lips at the sight of a candy shop but Krillin reminded him that they had no munny. The more Sora looked around, the more he felt like this town meant something to him, but he didn't see how this was possible. They got to a back alley and Sora was drawn to a hanging curtain. He He pulled it to the side and peered into the small room behind it. Two boys and a girl were behind it, looking quite bored.

"What do you want?" The boy with wavy blond hair in camouflage shorts snapped.

"Uh, nothing." Sora said quickly. "Just wondering what was back here."

"Now you know." the blond boy snapped. "This is **our **spot."

"Hayner!" the girl hissed. "Quit being rude!"

The dark haired boy in the red jersey approached Sora.

"I don't think I've seen you before." he said.

"I'm not from around here." Sora said.

The dark haired boy introduced himself as "Pence" and the girl introduced herself as "Olette." (She reminded Sora a bit of Selphie.)

"I got stuff to do so, catch ya later." the boy called Hayner said moodily, and with that he strode off.

"You'll have to excuse Hayner." Olette sighed.

"He always gets grumpy when summer vacation ends." Pence added. "So what's your name?"

Sora introduced himself and when Krillin and Gohan came in wondering what was taking him so long, he introduced them as well.

"Sora, Krillin, and Gohan." said Olette "We just met someone at the station who said he was looking for you."

The three of them exchanged surprised glances.

"He was wearing a black coat…well…more like a cloak, really. And he had really spiky black hair, spikier than yours."

"That's gotta be dad!" Gohan gasped.

They thanked Olette and Pence and hurried up the hill to the train station. As soon as they got there though, they were confronted by a horde of strange silvery grey creatures. They were unlike anything Sora had ever seen but when they slunk toward him and tried to grab him, he decided that they were obviously not friendly. They moved with unbelievable grace and were surprisingly tough. Usually one hit from the Keyblade was enough to defeat most Heartless, but these creatures were not only durable, they were quick enough (physically and mentally) to evade most of Sora's strikes! Krillin froze a few of them, not wanting to damage the building with his more destructive spells. Gohan relied on his martial arts skills to fight. He wasn't quite in top shape, but he managed to squish a few of their heads with punches, kicks, and stomps. As soon as they bested one group of creatures, another wave appeared before them.

These creatures were a bit larger and had long bladed arms. Before anyone could make a move though, someone in a black cloak dropped down and sliced the creatures apart so fast that Sora barely saw him move. He was holding a Keyblade just like Sora's Kingdom Key, only the blade was gold and the hand guard was silver. It had the same orange ball keychain, but the four stars on it were black instead of red.

"Goku?" Krillin gasped

The cloaked man tossed a pink pouch to Krillin and said "Board the train and leave this world. The train knows the way."

He then ran to the edge of the balcony and jumped into the town below.

"Was that really him?" Sora wondered.

"That was dad alright." said Gohan.

"Well, we better do as he says." Krillin advised.

They entered the station and were about to approach the ticket booth when they heard "Wait up!"

It was Pence and Olette with Hayner not far behind.

"We came to see you off." said Pence. "It just seemed like something we should do."

"Oh, thanks." said Sora, somewhat shocked by the kind gesture.

He noticed Olette gasp when Krillin took out the pouch that Goku gave him to pay for their train tickets. She took out a pouch of her own and Sora saw that it was identical to the one Krillin was holding.

"Hey, Sora." said Hayner, "Sorry I snapped at you before."

"No problem." Sora replied. Suddenly Hayner's face looked eerily familiar.

"Hey, I've never met you before have I?" he asked.

"Nah." said Hayner. "I have a good memory for faces an' I don't remember yours. Why d'you ask?"

Sora could only scratch his head and shrug. He saw shocked expressions on Hayner and Pence's faces and felt a tear sliding down his cheek.

"Dude, is something the matter?" Hayner asked.

"Don't know where it came from." said Sora, wiping it away quickly.

He said goodbye to his three new friends and joined Krillin and Gohan by the silver snake-shaped train. They took in its otherworldly appearance for a moment and the snake head opened its maw.

"Freaky." said Krillin with a shiver.

"You really gonna ride that thing?" Hayner asked.

"Guess so." said Sora, with a grin. "Don't worry about me. I've been through things you wouldn't believe."

* * *

><p>Hayner, Pence, and Olette watched their strange new friend and his companions board the creepy snake-train.<p>

"Whaddya think he meant by that?" Hayner asked them.

"Dunno, but I think I'm gonna look forward to seeing him again." Pence said as the snake-train turned itself around with all the flexibility of a real snake and slid effortlessly down the track.

Olette couldn't stop thinking about that pouch that the one called Krillin had. Every stitch was identical to hers. But she made that pouch herself! She knew the phrase, "Great minds think alike" but this was unreal!

"I think we've got another mystery to solve." she said.

* * *

><p>Sora looked out the window as the train sped through total darkness, forcing himself to dismiss the feelings of nostalgia and sadness from his mind for now. His mind was quickly filled with wonder as the train sped through a vibrant green nebula.<p>

"Do you think we're in the Realm of Light or the Realm of Darkness?" he asked.

"Maybe we're somewhere in between." Krillin proposed.

"In between?"

Was there really such a thing? Sora wondered as the train began slowing. He, Krillin, and Gohan rushed to the foremost window and saw an encrimsoned white light ahead. When they passed through it, they were in a bright pink void with a sea of yellow clouds below and they were approaching a very small green world. Sora could make out a few trees, a small, simple house, and a bright red car.

"Hey!" Krillin exclaimed. "Never thought we'd see this old place again!"

"You know this place?" Sora asked.

"This is King Kai's world." Krillin explained "He was Goku's teacher, very mystical guy. Quite the comedian too."

The train took them close enough to the world that they could drop onto it. As soon as they landed they were greeted by a large, muscle-bound man with short brown hair. He was dressed in a black and white prison uniform and had the words _No Future _etched into his skin above his left eye.

"Well, what do we have here?" the man growled.

"Who are you?" Krillin asked.

"I'll ask the questions." The large man snarled.

He snapped his fingers and ten Shadows surfaced around him.

"I take it you guys are here to be trained by the Kai, that right?"

They did not respond but had their weapons ready.

"Well, you're too late! He's probably a Heartless by now."

"No way!" Krillin protested "King Kai was one of the greatest masters who ever lived! It'll take more than a few Heartless to finish him!"

"That's why I sent dozens inside to ambush him!" The large man snarled. "Word is he's gotten lazy and soft over the years! Why am I talkin' to you runts anyway? Attack!"

The horde of Shadows leapt toward the three heroes, who reduced them to black smoke with ease. Then a dozen Soldier Heartless appeared, but Krillin blasted them in all directions with a cluster of lightning bolts.

"Wolf wolves…wolf wolves…" the large man began chanting, "MAGIC EYE CANNON!"

A shining ball of light shot out of his magical right eye. Krillin and Gohan dived out of the way, Sora tried to knock it back at the man but it exploded, sending him tumbling back.

"Drift!"

Krillin casted a zero gravity spell on the man and he began drifting upward.

"Wha…What the hell? What the hell did ya do to me?"

Krillin pelted him with fire balls and lightning, sending him even farther away, it wasn't long before he was out of sight.

"Is it safe to come out?" a throaty voice asked.

The car door opened and a short stout blue man in a black robe stepped out. He had a long pair of antennae on his head and wore dark sunglasses.

"I could have handled the Heartless, but the man with the magic eye would have been too much for me. Too bad comedy isn't a weapon or else I'd be unstoppable." he added with a snortle.

"Nice to see ya haven't lost your sense of humor, sir." said Krillin.

King Kai then approached Sora.

"And you must be Sora." he said grasping Sora's hand. "Good to finally meet you, my boy."

"Um…good to meet you too." said Sora, who was unsure what to think of this strange being.

He took them into his house and bade them all to sit.

"Now then, have you seen Goku yet?"

"Yes sir, we ran into him at the train station in Twilight Town. We didn't get a chance to talk to him, though."

"Yes, Goku has been running around a lot lately."

"So, do you know what's happened to us?" Sora asked.

"Well, from what I understand, the three of you have been in a deep sleep for a year."

"A YEAR?" The three of them exclaimed at once.

"Yes, but that's not important now. What matters now is that you are prepared for your next journey. It's probably going to be more challenging than your last."

"Another journey?" Sora questioned. "I was looking forward to finding my friend Riku and going back to my home world. I thought the worlds should be at peace."

"I know." King Kai said softly. "You saved your world and many others from darkness once, but now they are being threatened again by an enemy more dangerous than…"

He was interrupted by the growling of Sora's stomach.

"Oh! Heh, sorry." Sora said with an embarrassed grin.

"I guess I could explain the rest after dinner." King Kai chuckled. "Please tell me he doesn't eat as much as Goku." he whispered to Krillin and Gohan.

Curried rice, noodles, sweet and sour chicken, So many good dishes. Sora even tried some emperor scorpion and took a liking to it (much to Krillin's disgust). They continued to eat while Sora laughed at King Kai's jokes. It wasn't so much the jokes as the way King Kai told them.

"So how come there are still Heartless running around?" Sora asked, after he'd eaten his fill. "I thought I took care of them."

"You did prevent hundreds, maybe thousands of Heartless from being born." King Kai assured him. "But you need to understand that the Heartless are darkness incarnate. They have existed for as long as there has been darkness in the hearts of living beings. There will always be darkness in the universe and in our hearts."

"Oh…"

It sounded to Sora as if the Heartless would always be around. Was that going to prevent him from ever having a normal life again?

"It's not as bad as you think, Sora. Without both light and darkness, life as we know it could not exist. It is the struggle between the two that causes problems."

Sora stared, perplexed by these words. He wasn't sure how, but somehow it made some sense.

"Darkness is not evil, Sora." King Kai declared. "Good and evil are choices, not elements. Never forget that."

The three heroes nodded. That much made perfect sense, at least.

"Now, it's time you learn of the enemies you will encounter."

King Kai waved his hand and an image of Sora appeared.

"You know how Heartless are born, don't you?"

"They're born when we give into the darkness in our hearts." Sora answered. "But if we're attacked by Heartless we could also turn into them."

"That's right. Rage, hatred, grief, despair, terror, let any of these feelings overwhelm you and you will lose your hearts to darkness," King Kai elaborated, "and you will be turned if a Heartless manages to take your heart by force. However…"

The image of Sora turned grey and featureless.

"Sometimes when a being with a strong heart loses their heart to darkness, the body they leave behind acts on a will of its own."

The image of Sora's body continued to shrink and shrivel until it resembled one of the strange creatures they encountered outside the train station.

"We call these non-beings Nobodies." King Kai explained. "Nobodies are creatures of neither light nor darkness. They are neither good nor evil and are neither living nor dead. They are empty shells with no feelings or memories. **They are not meant to exist**."

Sora stared at the abomination before him, unable to decide if he should feel sorry for these creatures.

"While Heartless act mostly on instinct, Nobodies possess some measure of intelligence."

He waved his hand again and another image appeared before them. It was a figure in a black full-length hooded cloak with a zipper and a chain dangling from the hood, like a drawstring. Two other figures in nearly identical cloaks appeared.

"The beings you see now are even more advanced. These powerful Nobodies control the lesser ones; they have formed their own organization and are working toward a goal. What that goal is, we do not know. They are intelligent, fully capable of speech, and they each have their own unique powers and weapons. There may be times when they appear to have feelings, but this is just a ruse. You must not be decieved."

Sora and his comrades may have held their own against one powerful enemy, but an organization of them could really be a problem. Sora couldn't imagine fighting a team of Ansems, even with Krillin and Gohan's help.

"So Goku must be out there trying to find out what these guys are up to." Krillin concluded.

"It seems that way." said King Kai "Now, the three of you are going to be training with me for a few days. You're all going to need it after being asleep for so long, especially you, Sora."

"I guess I am a bit out of practice." Sora admitted.

"Is it the kind of training my dad got?" Gohan asked excitedly.

"It's similar." said King Kai. "You should all rest. Your training will begin tomorrow."


	8. Return to Hollow Bastion

Sora and Gohan's training with King Kai was not at all what Sora was expecting. King Kai renounced his title as master years ago, and so he could no longer wield his Keyblade, but he had other exercises for them. Their first exercise was to catch his pet monkey, which moved with incredible speed considering how strong the gravity on this world was. Gohan was the first to succeed in catching the monkey since his legs were a bit longer than Sora's. Sparring with Gohan had also proven to be quite strenuous due to the intense gravity; it became especially challenging when Krillin and King Kai started firing spells at them. A few times, Sora accidentally smashed King Kai's car (forcing him to repair it with magic).

By the fourth day, Sora and Gohan had gotten used to the gravity and were able to move with less effort. Sora found himself using his Keyblade in ways he never had before. These moves were unfamiliar to him, yet he was using them now. One evening he stood in front of a mirror staring in awe at his changed physique. He was no longer the scrawny boy he was a year ago, he was as tall as Riku was when he last saw him and he was a bit more muscular now, no doubt due to his training here. What was really strange though was that his once dark brown hair was now a caramel brown, under certain light, it even looked somewhat gold. Once he was back in sync with the Keyblade, He had to work hard to get back up to speed with spell casting.

Krillin reintroduced him to the basics; _Fire_, _Blizzard_, _Thunder, _and _Aero_ (Sora was still a natural at _Cure_). After he mastered the basics, King Kai taught him some of the more advanced spells like _Gravity, _which let him crush his targets. _Zero Gravity, _which made targets drift off the ground like Krillin did to the man with the magic eye._ Stop _enabled him to temporarily halt time within a small area. Finally, he learned_ Reflect, _which enabled him to send enemy projectiles away from him, he would even be able to send them right back at their senders, if he did it just right. He spent the next three days practicing spells and on their eighth day, King Kai told Sora he had something for him.

"Think of this as a reward for your training." he said.

He pointed his antennae at Sora and in a flash of golden light; Sora's old, worn clothes were transformed. His jacket was a little bigger and was black with a pair of pauldrons made of some kind of lightweight, flexible metal. His jumpsuit was now a blue and red shirt with deep blue breeches covered in black protective leggings.

"Those are magical garments." said King Kai. "They will give you some limited protection from spells, extreme climates, and even darkness."

"Alright!" Sora grinned.

"They will also help you unlock your hidden powers."

"Hidden powers?"

"Yes, Sora. The powers of a Keyblade Master!"

He handed Sora a yellow crescent keychain.

"This is the Starseeker. It was **my **Keyblade and now it's yours. Master it and your new powers, and you will be closer to becoming a true Keyblade Master."

"But how do I master it?"

"You'll have to discover that on your own. Krillin, Gohan, I have a gift for you too."

He opened a portal of light and a large bright purple and yellow Gummiship emerged. Krillin and Gohan looked at it in awe.

"Your old Gummiship may be lost forever, so I found another more up to date model for you. She's called the Falcon, take good care of her."

"We will, but I'm surprised you're willing to give this away!" Krillin exclaimed.

"Are you kidding?" King Kai said, stroking the hood of his car. "Just look at this beauty, she's all I need. One day, I may even modify her for space travel."

Once the Falcon was fueled, the three heroes prepared to climb in.

"Thanks for everything, sir." said Krillin.

"Take care, boys." King Kai said kindly. "And remember, the worlds may seem far apart and out of reach, but they are connected by invisible and nearly unbreakable bonds, as are our hearts."

The ship's interior was much more spacious and comfortable than the old ship's. During their stay, King Kai had revealed that his world did reside between the realms of Light and Darkness, as did Twilight Town and the Spirit World. With the ship's up to date navigation computer though, they would have no trouble finding their way back into the realm of light.

Sora felt a rush of excitement upon seeing deep blue space again. So many new worlds to explore, so many new friends out their waiting to be met. Space really was Sora's favorite place to be. It wasn't long before they came to their first world; it was mostly cobalt blue with a few green forests, pinkish bodies of water and a bright pink atmosphere. As they made their way closer to its surface, Sora could make out the remains of a castle that he would never forget, it was Hollow Bastion! The castle was nowhere near as foreboding now, all of the ice was gone, and there was a town in front of it which must have been hidden before. As they landed, Sora saw that it was a quaint, yet large and fairly prosperous town.

"Should we see how Leon and the others are?" Krillin proposed.

"Yeah!" said Sora and Gohan together.

"Sora!" a familiar voice cried.

It was Chihiro, the girl Sora tried to save at the Spirit Bathhouse.

"Hi, Chihiro." said Sora. "What are you still doing here?"

"I live here now, with my parents." she replied. "We moved here a few months ago, more opportunities. I still miss our old world a little, but Leon has been really good to us."

"We're on our way to see Leon now."

He's probably in the borough, down there." Chihiro said, pointing to the area below.

"Thanks." said Krillin and Gohan.

"We'll see you later." said Sora.

Krillin and Gohan made their way casually down the stairs while Sora took great leaps and bounds. Now that he was on a world with normal gravity, he felt as light as air, it was exhilarating. As they strolled through the borough, they were greeted by a strange sight. Several strange spheres of light appeared and began sliding effortlessly around them.

"What do you suppose that is?" Sora wondered.

"It's the town's defense system."

They whirled around to see Yuffie, the self-proclaimed "Great ninja" standing before them, grinning. She was taller now and clad mostly in black with khaki shorts.

"Hey, you guys! Nice threads, Sora!"

"Hey, Yuffie! Are Leon and the others here too?"

"Yep, they're in Baba's house around the corner here."

"Hey, Yuffie, have you seen my dad, Goku around?" Gohan asked.

"Goku? Yeah, he comes by from time to time to fill us in on what's been happening…"

There were bursts of black smoke and five grey lithe figures emerged, it was the Nobodies!

"…and to help us deal with **these **things!"

She drew her shuriken and Sora drew his Keyblade. Together, they spun forward, slicing two of the things in half. Gohan flipped to the right and squashed one of them, while Krillin froze the remaining two.

"I see you're still in top form." Yuffie commented.

"What'd you expect?" Sora replied, pounding his chest proudly.

Yuffie opened the door to Baba's house let them in.

"Meet the Hollow Bastion Restoration committee!" she announced.

Leon, Aerith, Cid, and Baba turned around to face them.

"We missed you!" Aerith said happily.

"Talk about yer perfect timin'!" said Cid with a grin.

"Goku told us you were asleep all this time." Leon chuckled softly. "What's up with that?"

"Dunno, we're not really sure ourselves." Krillin admitted. "But as you can see, we're fine now."

"Almost a year ago, none of us could picture your faces or remember your names. We felt awful." said Aerith.

"But about a week ago, we all remembered you at once." Leon added. "It was the strangest thing. Don't suppose you have an explanation?"

The three heroes exchanged confused looks.

"Well…you're here now. I guess that's what counts."

A few minutes passed as everyone discussed their efforts to restore the town. Gohan and Krillin were happy to lend their services.

"Hey, Sora." said Leon, clapping his hand on Sora's shoulder. "Follow me to the bailey. There's something I think you should see."

He led Sora up some steps leading out of the borough and across a ledge, into a stone shelter with two windows. Sora looked out a window and saw a decrepit old fortress in the distance. Hundreds of dark shapes were moving around in the canyon below.

"We're trying to return Hollow Bastion to what it used to be. It's been hard work, but I'm sure we can handle everything except for that…and **that**."

He pointed to two Nobodies slinking along the trail leading to the old fortress.

"We'll take care of 'em." said Sora.

"Well, that's good to here." said Leon. "We haven't heard from Goku in a while. Do you know what's going on?"

"Well," said Sora, "There's this man with a magic eye who's been going around making trouble with the Heartless, but the ones we need to worry about are the Nobodies. There's this organization of powerful Nobodies, they have control over all the lesser ones."

"So Goku must be trying to figure out what they're up to." Leon concluded.

"We think so." said Sora

"Mister Leooon!" a young, bubbly voice called out.

A small, cute boy in a powder blue jacket with thick blond hair came running into the bailey from the borough.

"Hey, Honey." said Leon. "Sora, this is Mitsukuni Haninozuka, we call him 'Honey' for short."

The boy's eyes sparkled and his face lit up.

"So, your Sora!" he cried excitedly, grabbing Sora's hand (dropping his stuffed rabbit) and shaking it. "I was hoping I could meet you! Can I see your Keyblade, please?"

Um…sure." Sora replied, summoning his Keyblade for Honey to see.

Honey gasped at the sight of the Keyblade.

"You should get back to your studies, Honey." Leon said pleasantly. "You'll see Sora again later."

Honey nodded and picked up his rabbit.

"Bye, Sora!" he said, hurrying up toward the castle.

"Studies?" Sora asked.

"Honey, five other boys, and a girl came to work at the castle not long ago." Leon explained. "We're thinking of making it into a hospital, an academy, maybe a mixture of things. It's where the committee's staying. Why don't you go up there and find a room to get settled into, there's plenty."

"Okay, Leon. I'll see you later."

Sora jumped down into the construction site and began making his way through it. Just as he reached the castle's postern though, he saw a tall figure in a black cloak sitting on the ledge. He must have been a member of the organization. Sora's first thought was to run and get Leon, but the figure beckoned Sora to come closer. Cautiously, Sora walked closer to the cloaked man, wondering if it might be Goku. He could not make out any features beneath the darkness of the man's hood.

"Do you remember me?" a deep, hollow voice rumbled.

It was definitely not Goku. This being's voice was empty of any human feeling whatsoever; it was almost like Ansem's voice.

"I shall take your obvious confusion as a 'no'." the cloaked man said. "Well, no matter. In fact, its better this way."

"Wha…what are you talking about?" asked Sora. He was so enthralled by that ominous voice that it took effort to speak.

"Nothing."

The cloaked man reached out and patted Sora on the shoulder, he tensed slightly.

"You have nothing to fear from me." he rumbled. "Just keep doing what you do best."

Sora drew away from the strange cloaked man and saw darkness enveloping him. The darkness formed a sphere around the cloaked man and then evaporated. He was gone.

* * *

><p>Lady Medusa sat in the smaller fortress near Hollow Bastion; she had named this fortress "Villain's Vale". She sipped some tea and rested her foot on the cool, moist back of her reluctant lackey, Eruka Frog. She had one of her Heartless slaves painting her nails her favorite shade of green. The Heartless were the most delightful creatures she had ever seen. Ever since that strange old man taught her how to control them eleven years ago, she'd been building herself an army, as he suggested. It wasn't long before a dark portal opened in the ceiling and Free, her most dependable co-conspirator fell out.<p>

"Medusa." he growled. "I've got some bad news and some worse news."


	9. Demon World

Sora awoke to the bright rays of Hollow Bastion's sun. His door opened and an adorable little girl with orange hair in pigtails came through, pushing a trolley full of food.

"Breakfast!" she said perkily.

The girl introduced herself as "Chiyo Mihama" and served him a bowl of yogurt, a cheese Danish and a cup of tea. He scarfed down the Danish and gulped down the yogurt and the tea. He then changed into his Keyblade wielder's garb and went to join Krillin and Gohan. They were planning on staying to help out around the town, so Sora (who had better things to do with his time than construction) headed for the Falcon.

On his way, he wondered where he should head first. Should he head to a world he was familiar with or look for a new one? Suddenly the Keyblade appeared in his hand and pulled his arm upward. A thick white beam shone from its tip and traveled into the sky. Perhaps this was the Keyblade's way of telling him which way he should go. He got inside the Falcon and activated it. The Falcon's systems were about as simple as the last Gummiship so he had little trouble getting off the ground. He flew in the direction of the beam from the Keyblade, it wasn't long until Hollow Bastion was far behind him.

As he continued to speed through space, the ship's computer picked up a strange anomaly, it must have been what the Keyblade was leading him to. As he approached it, the computer picked something else up; it was another ship, and it appeared to be firing at him. It strongly resembled a pirate ship with a long metal spike at the bow and a massive pair of metal jaws at the front of the hull. The jaws opened to reveal a large skull with pointy teeth. It reminded Sora a bit of the Heartless battleship that Ansem and his Guardian fused with for their final battle. Not eager to fight such a formidable enemy so soon (especially when he hadn't flown in so long) he sped into the anomaly and the next thing he knew, he was racing through a tunnel of vibrant blue light with the Heartless pirate ship not far behind.

The ship's skull-face spewed a cloud of purple gas which produced swarms of ghoulish black and white Heartless. Sora skimmed through the Falcon's system looking for a weapon and he found one just in time. He flipped the double cannons around and pelted the Heartless with a volley of white-hot energy balls. When the ghoul-Heartless were vaporized, the pirate ship began firing cannon balls at Sora. He kept firing the Falcon's cannons, destroying each cannon ball before it came to close, but they began to overheat. He maneuvered from left to right, evading more cannon balls as he waited for the Falcon's cannons to cool down. Just as the pirate ship was getting too close for comfort, a fleet of silvery blue ships appeared. They were shaped like knights' helmets and had lance-like arms.

They each had the Nobody symbol on them as well. The Nobody ships fired distinctive red ellipsoidal projectiles. Each projectile sailed right past the Falcon and hit the pirate ship instead. The Nobodies were helping him, but why? The Nobody ships swarmed around the pirate ship and peppered it with their fire from all sides until it dissolved into black and purple smoke. The Nobody ships then disappeared. Just yesterday, Nobodies had tried to attack him and his friends, but now they destroyed one of his enemies for him! Didn't King Kai say that Nobodies could act like they had hearts? Not knowing for sure whether or not he could trust them frustrated him.

Sora emerged from the tunnel and found himself in some kind of rocky cave. The ship's computer could not tell him where he was, so he stepped out to investigate for himself. When he got outside the cave, he found himself in a forest. There was a bright red sky full of dark blue clouds above. As he proceeded through the forest, he heard the sound of thundering footsteps. There was no telling what they could be, so he hid behind a tree. He peeked out and watched as dozens of balls of light zoomed past and what emerged next made Sora gasp in brief terror. A horde of nightmarish demons charged past and began devouring the balls of light. One of them began sniffing as the others gorged themselves.

"I smell…human flesh!" it growled in delight.

That was Sora's cue to run; he didn't dare try and fight these monsters. Who knew what they were capable of? He sprinted as fast as his newly toned legs would allow, but he could hear the demons not far behind him; their speed was considerable as well. He continued to increase his pace, pushing his limits beyond what he thought he was capable of. The lustful growls of the demons forced him to keep running and not look back. Finally, the unthinkable happened; he reached a dead end. A cliffside wall was blocking his path and the demons were closing in. He hadn't been this scared since the night he first left his Island, but he had to fight.

_Nothing's going to stop me from finding Riku! _he screamed in his head.

His vision was engulfed in a blaze of crimson light and when it cleared, the demons came to a screeching halt, and their various colored eyes widened with shock. Sora's outfit was red and black with a regal looking symbol on each sleeve. Red electric bolts were dancing around him and he was holding two Keyblades; his Kingdom Key and the Starseeker that King Kai gave him. The Starseeker was a curved blue Keyblade decorated with stars. It had a wing-like hand guard and a crescent-shaped tooth, holding it made his confidence soar. He rocketed forward and began slicing the demons apart with both weapons, the blades burned through the demons' hides with ease. As soon as the last demon was bested though, Sora's sudden power boost wore off. The Starseeker disappeared and his clothes were back to normal.

_Was that the hidden power King Kai was talking about? _he wondered.

Sora turned back to the wall; seeing no way around it, he began scaling it. When he reached the top he was confronted by someone he never imagined seeing again; long, bushy white hair and a red and white robe, it was Inuyasha's brother, Sesshomaru!

"Well, well…." he said in his deep, gravelly voice. "If it isn't the brat with the Keyblade."

He drew one of the two swords at his side and Sora summoned his Kingdom Key.

"What are you doing here anyway, boy?" Sesshomaru asked. "Demon World is no place for a human such as yourself."

"I don't know how I got here." Sora said defensively. "And I don't want to fight with you. I just want to get out of here."

"That's really too bad." Sesshomaru growled. "I haven't forgotten how you cost me my arm. I cannot let that go unpunished."

Sesshomaru was as fast and relentless as Sora remembered, but Sora was faster than Sesshomaru expected. As he evaded most of Sesshomaru's strikes (parrying only the ones he knew he couldn't evade) he knew he couldn't keep it up for very long, he needed to surprise Sesshomaru with something he couldn't counter…

_Magic!_

Sora backed away to the edge of the cliff and pointed his Keyblade at Sesshomaru.

"Not a wise move!" Sesshomaru hissed, as he dashed toward Sora.

Just before Sesshomaru got within striking distance, Sora cast Zero Gravity and sent him drifting over a deep canyon with a roaring black river at the bottom.

_Perfect! _Sora thought.

He then cast Gravity on Sesshomaru and watched him plummet into the canyon. Sesshomaru hit the river with a thundering splash and was out of sight. Sora then jumped over the canyon and dug his Keyblade into the other side. He then stood on the hilt, pulled himself up over the edge, resummoned his keyblade, and began trekking until he was out of the forest and saw something that froze his insides; the sky overhead was now a deep blood red (with some blue highlights here and there) and there were giant disembodied eyes staring down as well as two enormous mouths. In the distance, Sora could see a dark castle with tall spires sitting on a mountain. He didn't like it, but his Keyblade seemed to be guiding him there.

* * *

><p>Dark Ruler Ha Des was in a murderous mood today. Yusuke Urameshi had killed every demon Ha Des had sent after him, and now Koenma was threatening to send his Special Defense Force after him if he continued to lure living people into demon world.<p>

"That brat…" he growled. "He thinks he can threaten me? ME?"

"Apparently he can, my liege."

Sitting in the chamber with him was his advisor, the Witty Phantom and cowering in the corner, trying desperately not to burst with laughter was Saggi, his mentally unstable court jester (and occasional assassin).

"If I might make a suggestion…" Witty Phantom said in his high, snide voice. "Why not send a warrior who is already dead?"

"Yes…" Ha Des growled. "And I have just the warrior."

Unable to contain himself any longer, Saggi burst into hysterical laughter and fell to the floor. Ha Des pointed his index finger at Saggi and sent an invisible surge of demonic energy which caused Saggi's head to explode. He then turned to Witty Phantom.

"Go and fetch Dark Necrofear." he snarled. "I'll be waiting in the vault."

He made his way down to his castle's deepest vault where he kept certain souls captive. He retrieved a single soul and an urn containing the remains of its body from the shelf. It wasn't long before Witty Phantom arrived with Dark Necrofear, Demon World's most accomplished necromancer. Ha Des dumped the ashes from the urn into a pile on the floor and buried the soul in them.

"I want him reanimated." he told Dark Necrofear. "Make sure he's as strong as he was before he died."

Dark Necrofear bowed and a hazy black aura surrounded her. An identical aura surrounded the ashes, but it quickly turned a bright venomous green. She chanted in an arcane tongue and the ashes quickly rose and formed into a man. He wore a bright red haori, had short, spiky black hair and a rugged face with a scar across his right eye. His name was Auron. Ha Des handed Auron the sword he wielded in life. It had no hand guard, one cutting edge and a very thick blade.

"Here's the bargain." said Ha Des, "I will give you freedom in exchange for one simple job; kill Yusuke Urameshi."

Auron tightened his grip on his sword and bared his teeth, giving Ha Des a contemptuous glare.

"This…is **my **story…" he said, his voice calm despite the cold fury in his gaze. "…and you're not part of it!"

Auron swung with considerable speed, despite the heaviness of his sword, slicing Dark Necrofear in two. He then swung for Ha Des, who blocked the blade with one of his powerful arms.

"Ungrateful bastard." Ha Des snarled.

Ha Des hurled Auron from the vault and sent a surge of demonic energy which made him crash through a wall. He glided out and seized Auron before he could get to his feet.

"What did you think you'd accomplish, raising your blade against the ruler of Demon World?"

"You'll never be **my **ruler." Auron hissed, and with surprising strength, he dug his blade into Ha Des' side.

Ha Des groaned in pain and fury, dropping Auron. Auron pulled his sword out of Ha Des' side, producing a spout of thick green blood and rolled away as Ha Des swiped at him. Just then, someone Ha Des didn't count on seeing again showed up. It was the boy with the Keyblade.

"You again? How'd you get here?" Ha Des demanded.

Auron looked from Ha Des to the boy and did something no one expected; he dived forward, grabbed the boy and pulled him off the edge of a cliff. Ha Des watched as the two of them fell and disappeared into the forest below.

"My liege."

It was Witty Phantom.

"I took the liberty of summoning the Archfiend."

"Which one?" Ha Des inquired.

"The beast of Gilfer, sire." Witty Phantom grinned. "He'll hunt them down for you... Oh yes, he'll **hunt** them."

* * *

><p>Sora was being pulled by his arm through the forest of Demon World by the mysterious man who was fighting Ha Des.<p>

"Where are we going?" he breathed.

"Far away from that place." the mysterious man replied in a dry, rough voice.

Finally, Sora spotted the cave where the Falcon ended up and suggested that they rest in there.

"You're really brave." Sora panted as they sat by the Falcon. "Are you some kind of hero?"

"I'm no hero." the man said, some definite remorse in his voice. "I'm just an…Auron."

"Auron?"

"My name."

"Well, in any case, I'm glad to meet you, Auron." Sora said pleasantly. "I'm Sora."

"Sora…interesting…in some worlds, your name means 'sky'." Auron stated. "Tell me, Sora. How did you get here?"

Sora told Auron about the beam of light from his Keyblade and the anomaly his ship detected. Auron smiled dryly.

"It seems like we were fated to meet. Maybe you need a guardian."

Sora came close to scoffing.

"Thanks, but I can take care of myself."

"I have no doubt that you can." Auron replied in a surprisingly sarcasm-free tone. "Not many humans can make it to the Dark Sanctuary after all. The ghost of Dark Sanctuary can possess living warriors and drain their strength. If it got to you at any point, well, you'll know soon enough."

After a few moments of rest Sora got up and Auron got slowly to his feet.

"You alright?" Sora asked.

"Yes." said Auron. "I shouldn't have been so quick to challenge Ha Des, though. It's been so long since I've had a body. I won't make that mistake again."

They spotted two balls of light like the ones that the demons ate and Auron hacked them with his sword.

"That's better." he said.

"What were those things?" Sora inquired.

"Souls." Auron replied. "Undead like me can regain some of our strength by taking energy from wayward souls."

"Human souls?" Sora asked, a little unnerved.

"Most likely." Auron said. "I only took a little from them, though."

Sora was somewhat taken aback and Auron took notice quickly.

"If they had lived better lives they wouldn't be down here." he said pragmatically. "They'll all probably be devoured by demons anyway."

"Yeah but…"

Sora wasn't sure if that could justify what Auron did.

"You're idealistic…" Auron observed. "I used to be the same way."

Sora stared at the weakened souls flickering on the ground. Auron clapped a hand on Sora's shoulder.

"If it makes you uncomfortable, I won't do it again." he decided. "Come, we should try and find a way out of here."

"Alright." said Sora. "We can take my ship."

They got into the Falcon and Sora flew above the forest. He got to the side of a mountain and saw the unmistakable imprint of a glowing keyhole in the wall. He took the Falcon down to the mountain, got out and summoned his Keyblade.

"Will that open it?" Auron asked.

"I think so." said Sora. "The Keyblade's never let me down."

They heard a loud shriek in the distance and saw a winged demon with a red carapace flying toward them.

"Hurry!" Auron hissed.

Sora pointed the Keyblade and the white beam he remembered so well shot out into the keyhole. It disappeared and the wall began sliding open to reveal a great stairway. Sora whirled around to see Auron engaged in battle with the demon.

"Go on!" Auron called.

"What about you?" Sora called back.

Auron flashed him a confident grin.

"I can take care of myself."

Sora nodded and rushed up the stairs, ignoring the roars of the demon and the clanging of Auron's blade.


	10. Return to Spirit World

Dark Ruler Ha Des stood in his chamber waiting for news of Auron's whereabouts with Lord Sesshomaru.

"You know you can return to your own world at any time, don't you?" Ha Des asked.

"I don't mind being with my own kind," Sesshomaru replied. "And don't forget, you promised me a new arm."

"I have plenty of potions that can regrow your arm." Ha Des said dismissively.

"I don't want my old arm. I want a new, stronger one, one belonging to a powerful demon."

"I see…"

Ha Des turned around to face Sesshomaru for the first time.

"I believe I know a demon who can provide what you want, but he will not give it up willingly."

"Who?"

"He is known only as the Dark King of the Abyss." Ha Des explained. "He is the one who overthrew the former rulers of Demon World. He very nearly destroyed me as well, so I had to imprison him."

"He's probably weak after all this time." Sesshomaru said with a malefic smile.

"Yes, I imagine so." said Ha Des.

"Release him and I will claim one of his arms." Sesshomaru insisted.

"I have no means of releasing him; I intended to keep him locked up for eternity. But there may be another way."

"Yes…the Keyblade wielder." said Sesshomaru. "I've heard that the Keyblade can open any lock, magical or not."

* * *

><p>Yusuke sat in the lobby, tired from his last fight. Sitting by him was his sweetheart, Keiko.<p>

"Come on, Yusuke." she pleaded. "You used to skip class all the time when we were in school, remember? Why not skip this for me? We hardly ever get to see each other."

"They…they all came here to see a hero…to see me!" Yusuke panted. "I can't let them down!"

"Not tiring out yet are you, champ?" Koenma asked as he entered the lobby, flanked by two ogre bodyguards.

"Nah." Yusuke muttered.

The coliseum doors swung open and someone they hadn't seen in a long time came in.

"Sora!" Yusuke exclaimed. "When did you get here?"

"Just now…" Sora panted. "Just got out of Demon World."

"How did you end up down there?" asked Koenma.

Sora explained how his ship took him there, how he met Auron and how he got out as briefly as he could.

"I have to get my Gummiship back!" he said. "Could one of you help me get it?"

"I'll help." Yusuke offered.

"No, I don't think you will." a familiar voice growled.

It was Ha Des.

"You! You can't be in here!" Koenma barked, but Ha Des sent him and his ogres tumbling back with a lazy wave of his hand.

"Your vessel is in the custody of my demons, boy." said Ha Des. "But I can have them relinquish it if you do something for me."

"What do I have to do?" asked Sora.

"I'm going to take you beneath my castle, where an old enemy of mine is locked up. I want you to unlock his prison with your Keyblade and kill him for me. He has been locked up for one thousand years without sustenance, so he shouldn't be much of a threat to someone like you. Do this and you can have your vessel back."

"If he's your enemy, why not just leave him locked up?" Sora spat

"Keep talking back to me and I can have my demons tear your vessel apart." Ha Des replied with a nasty grin.

"Fine," Sora growled. "I'll do it."

"Sora's not going back down there without me!" Yusuke piped up, but Ha Des only chuckled.

"Urameshi, you remember Summoned Skull and Red-Eyes Black Dragon don't you?"

"Yeah! What about 'em?"

"I fused the two of them into one creature, the Black Skull Dragon. Who knows what kind of destruction it could cause if you don't stay and fight?"

"You bastard…"

"Just fight the dragon, Yusuke." said Sora. "I'll be fine."

"You sure?" Yusuke asked.

"Yeah, I've held my own down there before."

Ha Des opened a dark portal and Sora followed him. When they emerged, they were at the rear of the mountain that Ha Des' castle rested on. There was an enormous pair of stone doors that were chained up and locked. Sora pointed his Keyblade at the door and the beam shot out into the lock; it came undone and fell to the ground. The doors slowly swung open and a black-cloaked fiend crept out. He was as tall as Ha Des, had a skull-like face with three red eyes, and pale clawed hands. He let out a low, anemic-sounding hiss when he saw Sora. He glided forward with surprising speed and began swiping at Sora with his claws.

_Perfect, _Ha Des thought. _The Dark King's still got some strength left after all this time. Sesshomaru should be more than happy with the arm he'll be getting._

The fiend conjured a dark orb and hurled it at Sora, who batted it away. He then made a small red orb appear above them and a cluster of red lightning bolts snaked down from it. Sora flipped away from the bolts, cast Gravity and the fiend collapsed to the ground with such force that it created a web of cracks.

"Now! Finish him!" Ha Des commanded.

Sora dashed toward the fiend and sliced his head clean off. The head rolled for a bit and dissolved into black smoke. Ha Des picked up the body and said "Your vessel's on the other side of the mountain. Mefist, my general has been guarding it."

He vanished in a burst of green smoke without another word.

Sora ran around the mountain and spotted an armored fiend with long light gold hair standing passively by the Falcon with his arms folded. Sora jumped into the Falcon and when the armored fiend made no attempt to stop him, he activated it and took flight. He flew until he found the mountain leading up into Spirit World; the tunnel was just big enough for the Falcon to fit through. Finally, he flew out of the tunnel and back into the bright pink sky of Spirit World. He flew up to the coliseum and saw that Summoned Skull and Red-Eyes were indeed one creature now! They were a large dragon with a bony grey carapace and armored wings. Much of the coliseum was blasted away by the dragon's fire balls and Sora spotted Yusuke being dragged away by Koenma's ogres. If the dragon wasn't stopped, the entire coliseum would be demolished! Sora swooped down and unleashed a volley of projectiles from the Falcon's cannons onto the dragon. It flinched for a few moments, spread its wings and took off after Sora. He turned on the ship's energy shields to protect it from the dragon's fire balls. He then slowed down, let the dragon soar past him and fired at it again. When the projectiles managed to slow the dragon down, he increased the ship's speed and rammed into it with the the energy shield. He opened fire again at point-blank range and the shots put holes in the dragon's armor and tore through its wings. Unable to take anymore punishment, the dragon stopped flapping its wings and yielded to gravity. It plummeted toward the rocky ground below and vanished from view.

Sora took the Falcon down to the coliseum, got out, ran below, and found a broken bodied Yusuke being healed by Koenma.

"Dammit all…" he groaned. "I really blew it this time."

"Even a god would be exhausted after everything you've been through." his girlfriend, Keiko said softly.

"Genkai wouldn't have let all those souls die!" Yusuke spat. "She wouldn't have let a little fatigue stop her; she'd have found a way!"

"What happened?" Sora asked, even though he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

"The dragon ate a few souls," said Koenma. "Yusuke tried to beat it back but…it was just too strong."

Yusuke threw Koenma a contemptuous look and grasped Sora's hand.

"Looks like you're the hero today, Sora. I failed…so thank you."

"I've been failing for years," Sora admitted. "My friends Riku, Tidus, and Wakka used to beat me in duels all the time, really bad too. If I can become the what I am now, then a strong hero like you has nothing to worry about." he reasoned, unsure how accurate his conclusion was.

"I just…don't know."

"Well, I have to get back to the realm of light now," said Sora. "Hope you feel better soon, Yusuke."

"Don't worry." Keiko said. "I'll be here to take care of him." she added with a chuckle.


	11. Afro's Weakness

Sora got up early and rushed out of the castle. On his way he passed Yuffie, who was sparring with two other girls; a hyperactive wild-girl with black hair named Tomo Takino and a highly athletic and competitive brown-haired girl named Kagura. Today Sora knew exactly where he wanted to go, he wanted to see Afro Samurai again. It had been a year since Sora last saw him, he wondered if Afro was finally living a peaceful life.

"_Afro…" _he thought as he pointed his Keyblade to the sky. _"Take me to Afro!"_

His arm moved a little to the east and a white beam shot out into the sky.

"Mister Sora, wait!" a tiny voice cried.

It was Chiyo, she was running up to Sora holding a dish full of sashimi.

"I…made this for you to…eat on the way." she panted.

Sora thanked Chiyo, took the sashimi onto the Falcon, and took off.

* * *

><p>Xigbar sat in one of the organization's outposts in Stardust Sweep. Sitting across from him was a freelance spyassassin/freedom fighter/anime director named Nabeshin. Whether or not Nabeshin was his real name, (or if he was even sane) Xigbar neither knew nor cared. He wanted the Keyblade wielder, Sora, dead. Nabeshin's orders were to kill Sora and to bring the Keyblade to Xigbar.

"So, mister Nabeshin." said Xigbar. "Just what is your specialty?"

"Reality bending, fourth wall breaking, things of that nature." Nabeshin said snidely.

"That's not exactly what I meant." Xigbar replied. "Anyway, can I count on you to kill this kid…"

"I'll take him down to China Town!" Nabeshin shouted, slamming his fist on the table.

"…without making a scene?" Xigbar wanted to know.

"Believe me, I've been around the block enough times to make it look like he started it." Nabeshin replied smugly.

A Dusk slithered up to Xigbar.

"_Ship…coming." _it whispered.

"It better not be those Chronos bastards again." Xigbar growled.

"Who's that?" asked Nabeshin.

"Chronos is an organization of bastards who think they're better than everyone else and take out whoever gets in their way." said Xigbar.

"Like you guys?"

"Nah!" said Xigbar. "We don't **think **we're better than everyone else, we **know **it!"

He turned back to the Dusk.

"Scan that ship an' see who's on board!"

"_Sora…" _

"What!?"

Xigbar rushed to the bridge and saw a purple and yellow Gummiship zoom by. It did not match the one Sora used to fly but scans showed that he was indeed the pilot."

"That…was Sora." he said through gritted teeth."

"I'm getting paid overtime, right?" Nabeshin asked snidely.

* * *

><p>Dark Japan had changed significantly since Sora last visited. The night sky was no longer blood-red but a calming dark blue. There was also vegetation. All around him, Sora could see trees growing. The atmosphere no longer felt oppressive. If anything, it felt mystical.<p>

"WHAT DO WE HAVE HEEERE?" said a jeering voice. Turning quickly, Sora spotted a middle aged man with a tangled, white afro, dressed in a light ninja garb, his eyes hidden behind red visor-like sunglasses, crouching on an overlooking rock.

"Y'know something... I think I saw you last time! Spiky head, right? Kid with the big key?"

Sora stood there blinking. Who was this guy.

"Afro's friend, right? Man, he needs more of you around, y'know?"

"You know Afro?" Sora asked (they were the only words he could force out).

"Know they guy? He owes me a smoke!" the man sneered. Sora stared. He didn't think of Afro as the kind to make friends.

"You know where Afro is?" Sora asked, stepping toward the strange man. At this, the man hopped from the stone and stood up before Sora, slightly hunched over.

"Well, the guy's been a bit cuckoo in the head a bit lately. Freakin' out hear, slicin' up stuff there." The man stopped for a moment to light up a cigarette and puff on it some. "Anyway, I was thinking you helped the big guy out some last time. Maybe you can do it again, spiky head-"

"My name is Sora." Sora said irritably.

"Gotcha. Call me Ninja Ninja, man." the strange man said smirking. "Ready when you are, cap'n!"

Sora inhaled deeply, starting down the road, Ninja Ninja and ranting about virtually everything all the way.

* * *

><p>"Y'know how some people always sellin' out, man. Movie guys like that toy boy, or video game guys like that SQUARE guy?"<p>

"Hey... Ninja... remember that shutting up thing we covered?"

"I musta forgot."

Sora and Ninja Ninja had been traveling toward the mountain they encountered Justice on one year prior... and he had not stopped talking once. Rambling, boasting and complaining about countless subjects, Sora had given up trying to shut him up. The land, while coursing with life again, was strangely absent of people. There weren't even Heartless around. It was incredibly unnerving.

Coming to the foot of the mountain, Sora came face to face with what looked like a giant teddy bear... or the head of a giant teddy bear on a man's body. A man dressed in a blue kimono with two katanas fastened to his waist stood before him, a giant teddy bear head covering his own, a slow, rattling breath coming from inside it.

"Hey... you know this guy?" Sora asked Ninja Ninja... only no answer came.

Turning quickly, Sora saw that Ninja Ninja was nowhere to be found. Hearing the man's geta clacking through the pebble covered ground, Sora turned back to his foe, drawing his Keyblade, the man's needle-sharp katana drawn and at ready. As the figure came closer, he swung both blades for Sora. The sounds of slanging metal and flash of brilliant, dancing sparks filled the area as Sora and the man twisted and swung and countered in place at blinding speeds. After a brief few seconds, however, the man jumped away from Sora, both his blades still drawn.

"You're good..." he said slowly.

Sora nodded as a trickle of sweat slid down his forehead. The man quickly sheathed his weapons and turned to leave, his geta clacking in the stone covered ground.

"Tell Afro I'm waiting for him..." he said as he tread off.

Sora watched the man continue walking for a bit before turning back to the mountain.

"YO! Man, you did your thing!"

Sora turned quickly to see Ninja Ninja perched on top of a small shrine, smiling and smoking.

"Where were you?" Sora called. "I almost got chopped to fillets!"

"Relax, would ya? I was just watching the show an' thought I'd give you some privacy."

Sora shook his head. He wasn't quite sure what Ninja Ninja was up to, but he didn't like him. Still, Ninja Ninja was his only chance at finding Afro. He just HAD to be on the mountain.

Sora and Ninja Ninja (still chattering left and right) slowly made their way up the mountain.

"I can't breath up here! How can you do this? Man, my feet hurt! Are you listening to me?"

Sora ignored him all the way. Things just didn't feel right. No Heartless, no people, no animals, nothing. Sora just couldn't shake off the feeling that something wasn't right here. As he and Ninja Ninja continued up the mountain trail, Sora noticed several small sculptures and statues of many different kinds lining the way, he didn't notice them last time. As Ninja Ninja continued in the back, Sora climbed further up the mountain, the statues becoming more and more numerous.

"This is starting to get creepy..." Sora and Ninja Ninja said in unison. Just then, several of the statues lunged forward, weapons out stretched.

"AH! GANG BANG!" Ninja Ninja cried as he ducked for cover.

Sora maneuvered around the statues and sliced them apart, small Possessor Heartless rose out of their remains and began swarming around Sora, blasted them away with Thunder magic.

"OH, BRUTHA! YOU DID YO THANG!" Ninja Ninja raved.

Finally he made his way to what was once Justice's throne room and saw Afro crouching in a corner with a man in a black cloak. The cloaked man shrouded himself in darkness and vanished as soon as Sora entered the room.

"YO, AFROOO!" Ninja Ninja hollered from behind Sora. "You in one o' yo moods again?"

Afro sprung to his feet with a murderous look on his face, his eyes glowing red. He drew his sword and started slashing wildly at Sora, who began shifting and ducking to avoid the slashes, not daring to try and parry them.

"AW SNAP! HAWLY SHIT HAWLY SHIT!" Ninja Ninja raved. "Da hell is wrong with you, man?"

Afro continued to slash and thrust at Sora, forcing him to back into a wall.

"Reflect!" Sora cried in desperation.

Afro's sword went flying out of his hand from the force of Sora's spell. He made a grab for Sora's throat, but Sora ducked under him and fired a blizzard spell into his face. Afro hastily rubbed the frost from his face and when he opened his eyes they were no longer glowing red.

"Sora…" he groaned. "What…happened?"

"Well…uh…you kinda tried to attack me." Sora said awkwardly.

"I what?"

Sora looked around the room for ninja Ninja but he was nowhere to be found.

"There was a man in here with you a moment ago." Sora went on. "A man in a black cloak."

"Xaldin!" Afro gasped "I remember now. His name is Xaldin. He used some strange technique to control me. I couldn't tell fantasy from reality…I'm sorry.

A deep growl resonated through the room.

"You can be sorry later." Sora said readying himself as something dark began forming in the center of the room.

In mere moments, a giant Heartless was towering over them. Its flesh was black as jet and covered in thorny vines. It had a jagged maw and a long fiery red mane. Sora quickly dubbed it _"Dark Thorn"_. Afro made a dive for his sword, but Dark Thorn seized him in one of its powerful clawed hands. Sora sprang forward and jabbed his Keyblade into its arm, causing it to drop Afro. He then flipped backward to avoid being snatched by its other claws. It opened its maw wide and launched a dark orb, which Sora hurled his Keyblade into, shattering it. This was not a smart move because Dark Thorn spat another orb at him, which Afro barely had time to block. he held out his arm and Sora instinctively ran forward, let him seize his arm and hurl him at Dark Thorn. Just as Sora was about to run the beast through though, it vanished. Sora landed and readied himself. Dark Thorn was invisible, but he could hear its claws clicking against the slick floor. Suddenly he felt its presence bearing down on him. He whirled around and wove his Keyblade in an arc. In that instant, the beast was visible again and its face had been sliced into. He then jumped onto its head and plunged his blade into it. Dark Thorn thrashed for a bit before dissolving into black smoke.

* * *

><p>Sora and Afro made their way out of Justice's old lair to see a serene night sky.<p>

"My world is regaining its beauty." Afro said softly. "Thanks for helping me, Sora."

"Sure!" said Sora, clasping Afro's hand. "Well, it was nice seeing you again, but I have to say goodbye for a while."

"Take this with you." Afro said, handing Sora a grey diamond-shaped keychain.

Ah! Thanks!" said Sora, tucking the ball-keychain in his pocket and attaching the new one.

The Kingdom Key then morphed into a broad, silver Keyblade with a pointed hand guard and an arrowhead-shaped tooth. It was deceptively light in weight and Sora could sense that it was full of power. He silently dubbed it the "True Light's Flight".


	12. Shots in the Dark

Stealthily, Creed Diskenth made his way through the headquarters of Chronos, who he had broken ranks with only weeks ago. He was no longer welcome here and so if he made one wrong move, he would have the full weight of Chronos upon him. Finally, he made it safely into the command center by means of a dark corridor and saw Sephiria Arks, the Chronos commander. It looked as though she was waiting for someone. He darted out of the dark corridor and behind a mainframe. He then peeked around the corner and waited until another dark corridor opened and the strange man who called himself DiZ strode through.

"It's good to see you again." Sephiria said with a short bow.

"I have come for your decision, Sephiria." said DiZ. He was every bit as presumptuous as Creed remembered.

"I'm sorry DiZ, but Chronos can't help you this time." Sephiria said solemnly.

DiZ's amber eye narrowed slightly.

"We're grateful for the help you've given us, but our only goal is **global **peace, DiZ."

"**Thirteen** is still a very great threat." DiZ rumbled. "There are only six of them now. If you are to take action against them it really should be now."

"As I said, I'm sorry…" said Sephiria. "But our world is facing another crisis and we must deal with it while we can."

DiZ strolled over to her desk and placed a flash drive on it.

"In case you change your mind, this contains photographs and coordinates to Thirteen's base of operations."

He then threw open another dark corridor and left through it without another word. Sephiria put the flash drive in a computer and started skimming through it. Creed watched as she pulled up photographs of a white castle and scrolled through the coordinates. Creed clapped his hand over his mouth to keep himself from laughing, that castle would make the perfect headquarters for the Apostles of the Stars! Sephiria contemplated for a few moments and stormed out of the command center. Creed tore open a dark corridor and dashed through the darkness heckling with delight. He had to see that castle for himself!

Finally he emerged from the darkness and found himself in a dark metropolitan hell-hole. It was empty of life and dead-silent, despite the heavy downpour. The only lights were a few flickering streetlamps and some dim, illegible neon signs above. As he strode through its empty, rain-soaked streets he was confronted by a horde of tall, black, humanoid Heartless. He drew his _Imagine Blade, _a sword with an invisible blade that could extend up to eighty meters and sliced through them with ease. Finally, he reached the edge of the dark city and saw an enormous white castle floating over a deep canyon, inside the canyon was a pool of pale greenish light. He began to circle the castle, examining it. He leapt to the top of a building so he could get a better look at it. This castle was very plain, but a masterpiece of engineering; it had a cylindrical base that rest upon a massive rotating repulsor ring and several towers with spired roofs. All it needed was Creed's artistic touch and it would be perfect. He was about to open another dark corridor when a red-hot, bolt of energy shot through his right shoulder. He whirled around and saw a tall, thin man in a black hooded cloak pointing two strange purple and silver guns at him.

"Well, whadda we got here?" the cloaked man barked. "You wouldn't be one of those _Chronos _bastards, would you?"

Creed clenched his fist so tightly that blood began to trickle from it.

Xigbar had his arrowguns trained on the stranger's face and heart. He was pale with silver hair and dressed in a black, expensive-looking coat lined with fur. Just as he put his fingers on the triggers, the stranger did a back-flip and fell to the streets below. Xigbar warped to the street as the stranger made a graceful landing and unleashed a volley of burning bolts, which the stranger blocked with a sword. Not a single bolt hit the stranger, but they did make his sword's blade light up for Xigbar to see. He thrust the sword forward and what little of the blade he could see seemed to be coming toward Xigbar. He leapt back and let the blade's tip tear into his cloak. He estimated that it could extend up to eighty meters, maybe more. The stranger seemed to retract his blade and then leapt toward Xigbar, who warped behind him. He'd be safe if he could keep about eighty five meters between himself and the stranger.

Creed had not been this angry since his old partner, Train had betrayed him. The cloaked man was infuriating! Creed tried again to extend his blade and skewer him, but he warped above him, hung upside down in midair, and started firing at him. Creed twirled his blade and deflected the bolts, but a few small black holes opened up and the cloaked man began firing shots into them. Now dozens of black holes surrounded Creed and red bolts were pouring out of them. This man could manipulate the space around him just like Echidna!

The flamboyantly dressed stranger was really losing it now, and Xigbar was having fun. He began wall-kicking up the sides of the buildings to avoid Xigbar's burning bolts. He saw the stranger leap across the rooftops toward Memory's Skyscraper. He held his arrowguns together and fired a supercharged bolt which zoomed across the stranger's face. He threw Xigbar an amusingly shocked look and Xigbar took advantage of this by warping behind him and driving his boot forcefully into the stranger's jaw. As the stranger crashed onto the ground, Xigbar reloaded one of his guns. He had just the thing to finish this poor bastard off. Before the stranger could get to his feet, Xigbar fired a volley of freezing bolts into him and then another into drenched street around him. In mere moments, the poor bastard was frozen in a thick shell of ice. Only his head and shoulders were unfrozen, he began gasping and cursing as a swarm of Neoshadows appeared.

"Bon appétit." Xigbar jeered as he marched smugly away.

It wasn't long before a terrified shriek echoed through the city. Xigbar's phone then began to vibrate and so he snatched it out of his pocket. It was Saix.

"Xigbar, I detected a lot of firepower by the skyscraper. What's the situation?"

"Relax, lapdog." Xigbar said cockily. "We had an uninvited guest, but I took care of em'."

With that, Xigbar tucked his phone in his pocket and warped away to parts unknown.


	13. One of Those Days

According to the Falcon's computer, Sora was traveling along an old interspace highway. People stopped using it nine years ago, when the Heartless started terrorizing the worlds, but it was recently reopened and was packed with space travelers. he hadn't seen a single Nobody ship, but a Heartless ship shaped like a massive purple wheel appeared and began launching missiles at him, which he blasted with the Falcon's cannons before they could reach him. By luck or skill, he managed to destroy the Heartless ship by blasting the next set of missiles just as they were about to leave their ports. Thankfully, the resulting explosion did not damage any other ships. Eventually he decided to stop at a space station. It appeared to be some kind of market place. There were toy stores, manga shops, and anime vendors everywhere. As he passed a nearby stand, something caught his eye. It was a plush toy of a cute pink dog with big round eyes and droopy ears called "Maromi".

"Like it?" the vendor asked. "Only thirteen munny."

"Sure!"

Sora gave the man thirteen munny, took the Maromi plush and moved on to a CD store, where he purchased a CD player, earbuds, and a Nerimah Daikon Brothers album. He was about to explore a large manga shop when…

"Hey…you Sora?"

Sora turned around to see a tall lanky man with bushy greenish hair wearing a collared shirt.

"Y-yeah…I'm Sora." he said; ready to summon his Keyblade, just in case he needed to defend himself.

"Good." the man replied in the most smartassy tone Sora had ever heard. He then pulled out a pistol and Sora summoned his Keyblade.

"I wouldn't try that." the strange man sneered. "These rounds are non-lethal, but they hurt like hell."

"Just who are you?" Sora demanded

"Spike Spiegel." the strange man answered. "In case ya haven't figured it out, I'm a bounty hunter."

"A what?"

The man who called himself Spike Spiegel started shooting at Sora, who barely deflected each shot. Finally, Spiegel ran out of bullets and Sora sprayed ice crystals in his face.

"Damn, one clip is usually more than enough." he muttered, wiping his eyes.

"I haven't done anything wrong!" Sora protested.

"Really?" Spiegel retorted with an unpleasant grin.

He pulled out a sheet of paper and began reading it aloud as someone shouted "WELCOME TO THE STO-O-O-ORE!" in the background.

"Trespassing, jaywalking, assault, file sharing, trolling…none of these ring a bell?"

"No, not really." said Sora.

"Aww…well…guess that'll teach me to listen to people in black coats, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Sora chuckled.

"Guess I'll see ya around then." Spiegel said as he tucked his hands in his pockets and shuffled off.

"Aren't you gonna apologize?" Sora demanded.

"Naaah."

Putting this incident out of his mind, Sora went to get some tempura at the food court when he had an even stranger experience.

"That ain't no way to treat a lady!" a loud, manic voice cried.

A rugged man with a brown afro hairdo jumped onto one of the tables. He wore a magenta jacket with a name tag that said _Nabeshin. _He reached into his afro, pulled out a pair of assault rifles, and people started fleeing the food court screaming hysterically.

"I BLAME MY SCHOOOOOL!" the man called Nabeshin roared as he opened fire on Sora.

This guy was completely deranged; there was no sense in trying to talk to him. Sora snatched up his things and sprinted out of the food court. He jumped into the Falcon and took off but Nabeshin jumped on the windshield and began banging on it with a toilet seat, yelling obscenities like a maniac. Sora took flight, spun the ship and sent Nabeshin tumbling through space, screaming like a howler monkey. He continued flying until he approached a world he did not recognize, it was covered almost completely in jungles and savannahs. It looked like a promising world to explore, provided that there weren't any maniacs on it.

Sora landed under a tree and trekked across a savannah, unsure what to expect. Then four masked Heartless with simian-like bodies appeared and began attacking with ghostly blue flames. Sora sprayed ice crystals, but they had no effect on the flames, so he rolled to the right and cast _zero gravity_, which also had no effect. The Heartless waved their staffs and cast more fire at him, but he shielded himself with _reflect _and the flames scorched the Heartless instead. Sora then spun forward and beheaded them all with a wave of his blade. He continued his trek until he got to a shallow gorge where he spotted a pair of large two-legged skull-faced Heartless with club-like tails circling a woman.

"No! Run!" she cried as Sora jumped down into the gorge.

One of the skull-faced Heartless began spinning toward Sora, but he lifted the True Light's Flight and (as if he already knew he could) conjured three orbs of light around him. The orbs exploded in a flash of white light the moment the Heartless touched one. The Heartless was obliterated, but Sora didn't have so much as a burn on him, even his eyes were free of pain. The woman grabbed the other Heartless by the tail, swung it around and hurled it high into the air; she then turned to face Sora. Now that he could get a better look at her, he saw that she was tall and unusually well-endowed with tan skin and pale green hair. She wore only a grass skirt, an orange top, and a skull-necklace.

"My name is Mii." she said pleasantly. "I'm a flower spirit."

"I'm Sora and I'm a Keyblade master." Sora declared. She gasped as he showed her his Keyblade.

"I've heard of that weapon." she said. "One legend says it brought peace and another legend said it brought destruction."

"Well, just so you know, I'm not here to bring destruction."

"Well that's good to hear." said Mii. "We already have a destruction spirit, you know. Of course he's not such a bad boy when you get to know him."

That statement didn't make much sense, but Sora elected not to question it.

"So, um…those Heartless…are there more of them?"

"There were, but I've been fighting them off." Mii explained. "Is that why you came here because of them?"

"Well, actually I've been looking for a friend of mine. He has white hair and blue-green eyes."

"I'm sorry, but you're the first person from the outside world I've ever seen around here."

"I see…" said Sora, a tad disappointed.

"While you're here, could you help me take care of a giant Heartless that's been causing trouble?"

"Sure."

"Okay, I'll take you to the valley where it roams, but I think we may need help from Ongo, the spirit of wood and destruction."

She took him to a hut where a small boy in a loincloth with untidy brown hair was sound asleep. Mii was about to pick him up when…

"Nooo! Don't disturb Master Ongo!"

A tiny, cute blue-haired girl flew into the room and latched onto Mii's arm.

"Let go, Rongo!"

"Master Ongo needs his rest for our honeymoon!" she hissed.

Honeymoon? How old were these tiny beings?

"What are you doing here anyway, Mii?"

Mii explained how she and Sora were planning on taking care of the giant Heartless.

"I'm going too!" she declared. "I won't have anyone doing Master Ongo's job!"

"Exactly what can you do?" Sora asked Rongo as Mii led them to the valley where the giant Heartless was roaming.

"I'm a water spirit." Rongo replied.

"Just how is water supposed to help us defeat a giant Heartless?" Sora whispered to Mii.

"It's not." Mii growled. "I'm just letting her tag along."

"I heard that!" Rongo squeaked.

Suddenly, there was a mighty quake and the biggest heartless Sora had ever seen (next to Ansem's battleship) rose from the valley. It had four legs, grass and trees growing on its back, and a tusked, skull-like head. It also had a two-headed stone idol resembling a lion on its back. Rongo squealed in terror and hid behind Sora's back.

"I'm not sure I can do much damage to something that size!" Sora exclaimed.

"Just leave the big one to me!" Mii declared.

Mii began doing what could only have been described as an erotic dance and chanted in a strange tongue. Sora's jaw dropped as Mii began to grow and grow until she was taller than the giant four-legged Heartless (her breasts bouncing wildly the whole time). Blood squirted out of the Heartless' nose as she bent over to grab it. She then lifted it over her head and hurled it in the direction of the sun. Mii then began to shrink until she was back to her normal size. She then collapsed to her knees.

"Sora, take care of the smaller one." she panted.

The two-headed idol that rode on the giant Heartless floated toward Sora and discharged a powerful bolt of lightning at him. Sora dove to the left and cast _reflect_ as the idol cast another bolt.

_Okay, Sora…think…water conducts electricity, right? _he asked himself. "Rongo, soak it with water!"

Rongo flew over to a nearby lake and sent a thick stream flying toward the idol, soaking it. Just as it sent another white-hot lightning bolt at Sora, he cast _reflect_ again and the bolt bounced right back and hit the idol in the center, shattering it. After the battle, Mii and Rongo thanked Sora for his help defeating the Heartless and wished him luck on his journey.

"You better get going before Ahem finds out you're here." Mii advised. "He may not feel the same way about your Keyblade and you don't want **him **on your case."

"Okay. Goodbye, then."

Sora hopped into the Falcon and took off into space. He did not know who Ahem was and didn't really care. It was time to head back to Hollow Bastion for a while.


	14. Fire Mountain Castle

Hollow Bastion's reconstruction was progressing splendidly. It was only a matter of time before the world was back to its former glory, and Sora hoped he could be here to see it. He took a few moments to observe the construction going on at the castle but felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, expecting Gohan or Leon, but instead it was someone he hadn't counted on seeing again. It was the boy he encountered in spirit world.

"Oh…Cloud, right?"

Cloud was a bit more muscular now and wore a long black coat with one sleeve and a black pauldron with a wolf's head medallion over is left shoulder. His once soft, sad face was now grim and determined.

"I found him…the man I was looking for…the one responsible for the darkness in my heart."

"Who?"

"Sephiroth. Let me know if you see him. He has long white hair, green eyes, wears a black and red coat and carries a really long sword."

"Okay." Sora said with a nod.

"Be careful," Cloud added in almost a whisper. "He's really fast and he messes with your head."

"Cloud!"

A tall, fair woman clad in black ran up to Cloud and Sora. She had long dark hair and a stunning physique; very attractive, yet Cloud's face betrayed a hint of dread at the sight of her.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" she asked. Her voice was calm, yet subtly demanding. "If you have a problem, then talk to someone already."

"I can't talk to you now." Cloud muttered.

The dark-haired woman looked at Sora for a moment, her expression unreadable.

"You can talk to him but not me?"

Her voice now sounded sad, but with a hint of frustration. When Cloud did not give her an answer, she turned and stormed toward the borough. She stopped for a moment and looked back to hiss something to Cloud and then went on her way. Cloud glanced at Sora for a moment and marched off in the opposite direction. Putting this event out of his mind, for now, Sora made his way down to Baba's house to inquire about Krillin and Gohan. She told him that they were up at the castle waiting for him. He rushed up to the castle where they revealed to him that they would be making a trip back to their home, Fire Mountain Castle. He was so excited that he'd finally get to see their home that he didn't even mind running all the way back down to the hangar.

* * *

><p>The trip to Fire Mountain Castle was surprisingly short and it was not at all what Sora had envisioned. The castle did sit atop a great mountain, a lush mountain with countless apple trees and several small villages upon it.<p>

"So…where's the fire?" Sora asked, knowing how stupid he probably sounded.

"When Goku inherited the throne, he had it all extinguished so the people could have access to the castle." Krillin replied.

"So why's it still called `Fire Mountain'?"

"Sometimes it's best not to ask questions."

Krillin landed in the courtyard and as soon as they got out of the ship, they saw dozens of Heartless (mostly Soldiers and Search Ghosts) roaming the grounds. Gohan was the first to spring into action, smashing every Heartless with only his hands and feet. When they were all bested, a petite woman in a pink and blue robe and a little boy who bore a definite resemblance to Gohan rushed out of the castle. Gohan embraced the woman and then picked up the boy and hugged him. He introduced her to Sora as his mother, Chi-Chi. And the boy was his little brother, Goten.

"Have, you seen Dad?" Gohan asked.

"He came by a few days ago, only to tell me that the three of you were alright and then he disappeared again."

"What's been going on, Chi-Chi?" asked Krillin. "What are Heartless doing here?"

"This is the work of a witch." Chi-Chi replied gravely.

"A witch?" the three heroes asked together.

"Yes, I saw her slinking into the vaults. I was about to go down after her, when I heard my Goten crying for me."

"I wasn't crying…" Goten muttered.

"Ma'am, show me where the vault is and I'll take care of the witch."

Chi-Chi considered this for a moment, when someone leapt down from the roof. It was the man with the magic eye.

"Krillin, take Sora to the vault!" Chi-Chi ordered.

"I'll take him, Mom!" Gohan insisted, and with that he grabbed Sora and ushered him into the castle. He led him down to a few short corridors to a dark, spacious chamber and ran back out to join Krillin and his family.

"Come out, witch lady!" Sora called out. "I'm not scared of you."

At that moment, a large slab from the ceiling fell and Sora dived out of the way. A woman slowly stepped out of the shadows. She was fairly tall and slender with snake tattoos coiling down her bare arms and was clad in a black hooded jumpsuit with a green tint. She also had a short tail with an arrow-like tip. Her face, though young and girlish, was not too pleasant to look at. She had dull yellow hair and yellow eyes with snake-like pupils. There was something almost reptilian about the way she smiled.

"Hello, little boy…" she said in a sickeningly silky voice. "You may address me as Lady medusa."

"Just what do you want here, Medusa?" Sora demanded.

"I just want this world for my own." Medusa replied. "It's a little brighter than I'd like, but the Heartless could remedy that."

"I don't think so!" said Sora. "I'm gonna stop you here and now!"

Medusa only chuckled.

"You're an amusing little boy, but I can't let anyone stop me…I'm afraid you'll just have to die."

Three black arrow-tipped tendrils shot out of Medusa's back and Sora rolled away with only a light cut in his side. It was so dark in the vaults that it was hard to see them, and it seemed to be getting darker. Sora could barely hear more deadly arrows stretching toward him, so he began firing spells in all directions. He kept this up for an uncomfortably long time and it was taking a toll on him.

"What's the matter, little boy?" Medusa cooed. "Are you getting tired already?"

This witch was going to do whatever she could to break Sora; physically, psychologically, or both. Before he knew what was happening, his senses began to intensify. He could suddenly see and hear better than ever before and he had other strange senses he couldn't identify. He could sense each arrow snaking toward him and there was a dark presence above. Sora pointed the Keyblade where it guided him and began firing rapid bursts of raw magic.

He heard medusa grunt loudly and the dark presence fell from the ceiling and hit the floor; it was a little green lizard-like Heartless and it was what was making it so dark in the vaults. One of the snake tattoos on Medusa's arm came to life, morphed into an enormous snake with a purple aura and zoomed toward him, but he froze it with a powerful blast of _blizzard _magic and shattered it with his blade. A black arrow appeared on the ground under him and an invisible force sent him flying toward Medusa, who was ready to skewer him with her tail.

He rolled away just in time and pelted her with more magical bursts. He began circling her, floating centimeters above the ground firing ice crystals, fire balls, and lightning bolts, surprisingly, Medusa did not seem frustrated, in fact she seemed to be enjoying this. Sora began flinging and resummoning his Keyblade so fast that it must have looked like he was pulling dozens of them out of thin air. Several more tendrils stretched out of Medusa's back, but the Keyblade tore right through them and hit her multiple times, but her grin did not fade. Perhaps she was still trying to psyche Sora out, or perhaps she enjoyed receiving pain as much as she enjoyed inflicting it.

"I'd love to stay and play with you a little longer, but I have a very busy schedule today…and I'm sure you do too."

With that, she tore open a dark portal and slunk inside, she was gone.

Sora rushed back outside and saw that Krillin and Gohan were still fighting the man with the magic eye. What really took Sora by surprise was the change in his appearance; he now took the form of a ten foot tall wolf-like creature with thick dark fur and a long tail. He made pillars and spikes shoot out of the earth and when they missed his targets, he shot fire from his magic eye and turned them into molten rock. Sora cast a few blizzard spells and his Keyblade became glazed with ice. He leapt high into the air and flung it onto the ground, cooling the molten rock.

He then hurled it at the wolf-man, who batted it away with his tail. He resummoned it and prepared to leap toward the wolf-man, when all of time seemed to just…stop. When it started back up again, the wolf man was on the ground with his face badly singed. A dark portal opened under him and he sank through, he was now gone too.

"What happened to him?" Sora wondered.

"I used the _stop _spell." said Krillin. "I was the one who casted it, so I'm the only one who wasn't affected."

"I wish I knew that spell when I fought Ansem." Sora muttered.

Once the _stop _spell's effect wore off and time began again, any damage inflicted to an enemy would take effect and obviously could not be prevented. _Stop_ did have two drawbacks, though; the first was that the caster had to wave his instrument in a clockwise circle, which was easily spotted, and any enemy attacks would prevent the spell, the second drawback was that time was not meant to be stopped, and so it was nearly impossible to control how much time was stopped.

"Chi-Chi, we'll be back, but just give us a little more time. The worlds still need us."

"I understand." Chi-Chi sighed.

"Guys, I'm going to stay with mom for a while." Gohan decided. "I'll be back at Hollow Bastion when I'm ready."

Sora and Krillin were a bit surprised but Goten was barely able to contain his joy.

"Okay, Gohan." said Krillin. "But how will we know when to come and pick you up?"

"I'll just build another Gummiship." said Gohan.

"You're kidding, right? There's nothing gummi-related in any of your books! "

Until he was about eleven, Gohan was trained to be a scholar and was very book-smart, but he never mentioned anything about being able to build things.

"Hey, I'll have Oolong and Puar to help me. They're pretty savvy."

"It was very nice to meet you, Sora." said Chi-Chi with a quick bow. "Goku told me what a brave young man you are in his letters, I can see that he was right."

Once the farewells were said, Krillin and Sora got into the Falcon and blasted back toward Hollow Bastion.


	15. Missing You

Kairi stood watching the sunrise on Sora's island. Everyone was holding onto the hope that he and Riku would someday return. Even their parents remained optimistic and cheerful, but today Kairi was having doubts, an uncommon thing for Kairi. Not long ago she had written a letter to Sora, stuck it in a bottle and sent into the sea, thinking somehow it might reach him. She now knew how silly it was to think that way.

"Maybe…waiting just isn't good enough." She sighed.

"My thoughts exactly!" said a strange, snide voice behind her.

She whirled around and saw a young man, maybe a few years older than her with a mane of spiky red hair dressed in a black cloak.

"If ya have a dream, act! Don't wait!" he went on. "One of life's little rules…got it memorized?"

"Who are you?" Kairi asked, taking a step back.

"Axel." the man replied with a smile that Kairi somehow knew was false. "I happen to know Sora. Why don't we go see him?"

Kairi drew back as the man called Axel approached her.

"You an' I have something in common, Kairi." he said. "We both miss someone we care about. Heh, I feel like we're friends already."

"Sorry, but I don't trust you!" Kairi said defiantly.

With that, she turned and bolted down the beach, but a black hole opened up and she ran right into it. She turned for a moment to see that Axel was entering the portal and kept on running for an unknown length of time until, she hit a brick wall! When she came to, she saw two boys and a girl about her age standing over her, looking both concerned and curious.

"You okay?" the stout, dark haired boy asked.

"Wha…?"

"You came flying out of a big black hole…nearly gave us heart-attacks." he explained.

"I was…running…from a stranger." Kairi said as the girl helped her up.

"Well, you're safe with us." said the boy with wavy blond hair, trying not to sound too full of himself.

Something about this boy reminded Kairi a tiny bit of Riku, with maybe a touch of Tidus.

"I'm Olette." said the girl. "This is Hayner…and Pence. What's your name?"

Olette was almost the spitting image of Selphie. Kairi had a feeling she was going to like these kids.

"I'm Kairi." she said with a smile. "I come from a world called Destiny Islands."

"We met a kid from another world not long ago." said Hayner.

Kairi gasped.

"W-was his name Sora…or Riku?"

"Sora." Hayner replied.

The three kids gasped as a tear slid down Kairi's cheek.

"Sora's one of my best friends…" she said. "I've been waiting for him to come home for over a year."

"If you stay with us, Sora's bound to come back sooner or later." Olette said, taking Kairi's hand.

They took Kairi back to their hangout, which reminded Kairi a bit of the shack on Sora's beach. It had a certain rustic charm. Kairi took a few minutes to tell them about her life on Destiny Islands.

"How's the surf?" Hayner was quick to ask.

"Um…quite good, I'd say."

Olette was intrigued by the legend of the paopu fruit. Before she could inquire about life in Twilight Town though, another black hole opened above her. Before she could move away, a pair of arms reached down and snatched her up. It was Axel!

"Somehow, I just knew I'd find you there." he said snidely as he closed the portal below them. "You've got guts, running right into the darkness like that."

"Axel! I'd like a word with you." said a gravelly voice.

There was another man in a black cloak almost identical to Axel's. He had wild blue hair and an X-shaped mark between his yellow eyes. Axel did not comply, but tore open another portal and slipped inside. The blue-haired man took a moment to regard Kairi.

"Come with me." he commanded in an icy tone. "There's nowhere else for you to go now."

* * *

><p>"Twilight Town! Good to see you again!" said Sora as he jumped out of the Falcon. (No one would mind him landing it in the woods.)<p>

Twilight Town and Traverse Town were about as different as night and day. There was so much going on here and so much to do, Sora realized as he entered the center of the town. He spied a dessert shop and stopped inside to buy some Hakuto jelly. As he ate, he headed toward the town's sandlot to explore some more. When he got there though, he dropped the last bit of his jelly at the sight of nine Nobodies. They were attacking three residents; a boy about Gohan's age in a white coat and a black tuque, a larger boy in an orange top, and a girl with white hair. Sora knew the perfect way to deal with the Nobodies.

"Drift!"

He cast _Zero Gravity_ and they all started floating upward so he could pepper them with fire balls, reducing them to dust. He then rushed over to help the boy in the white coat.

"You alright?" He asked offering his hand.

"Back off." The boy growled. "How about you get out of my town now? We don't need your help."

"Have it your way." Sora muttered.

"Before you go…this goes to the strongest fighter in town."

He offered Sora an intricate trophy with four colorful crystals on it.

"Thanks, but I don't need it."

Ignoring the offended looks on their faces, Sora marched off to a back alley when he heard someone whisper his name. He turned to the left and saw a man in a black cloak with long blue hair standing in the shade. He must have been a member of the organization. He beckoned Sora toward him, so Sora approached him cautiously, ready to summon his Keyblade and strike if the man tried to attack him.

"I'm looking for one of our members, Axel…he has red hair." He said in a gravelly voice. "I suspect that he will try to turn you back into a Heartless."

"Why are you telling me this?" Sora inquired.

"I have my reasons."

Sora scowled at the man, who reached into his pocket and pulled out a black metal device and a card.

"This is called a cellular phone." he said handing it and the card to Sora. "If you see Axel, use it to contact me. Just type in those numbers and listen for my voice."

"Wait…" said Sora, as the man turned to leave. "Tell me what this is about."

The man took a moment to consider his answer.

"Axel has stopped acting in the organization's best interest." he replied. "Conflicting agendas create problems."

He tore open a dark portal behind him. Sora gazed at the portal, wondering what would happen if he ran in after the man.

"I wouldn't try that, if I were you." the man said, as though he were reading Sora's mind. "Not unless you want to end up like your friend from the darkness."

"_My friend from the darkness…" _Sora thought. _"RIKU?"_

"Sora, you just keep destroying those Heartless. They are your only concern."

The man stepped into the portal (ignoring Sora's protest) and it closed. What could he have meant? Did they do something to Riku? He threw the cellular phone into a nearby dumpster.

"Hey, Sora!"

It was the dark haired boy he met last time he was here.

"Uh…Pence, right?"

"Sora, you know a girl named Kairi, don't you?"

"K-KAIRI? I sure do!"

"You'd better come with me."

* * *

><p>Pence took Sora back to the hangout where Hayner and Olette were waiting for him.<p>

"So how do you guys know Kairi?" Sora asked excitedly. "Where IS she?"

Hayner told Sora about how Kairi ended up in Twilight Town, how they let her stay with them, and how the stranger appeared and abducted her. It seemed to be quite a shock to Sora at first, but his face quickly turned solemn.

"Sorry, man…" said Hayner. "…there was nuthin' we could do."

"Hey…no…it's not your fault." Sora muttered sadly.

He slowly got to his feet.

"I've gotta go look for Kairi!" he declared with sudden determination.

"Will we see you again?" Olette asked.

"Sure!"

"Hope ya find her, man." said Hayner, clasping Sora's hand.

Sora bade his new friends goodbye and rushed to the Falcon. He took off into space, determined to find Kairi, but clueless as to where to look. Suddenly a monitor began beeping and so he answered it and Krillin's face appeared on the screen.

"Sora, get back to Hollow Bastion right away." He said. "There's something here you ought to see."

"What is it?"

"Well, we found Ansem's room. We could use some help searching it. Maybe we can find some info on the Heartless, the Nobodies, and the Dark Realm."

"Okay! I'll be there as soon as I can!"

Sora punched in the coordinates for Hollow Bastion as Krillin had taught him. Ansem's research could give him just the clue he needed to find Kairi…and hopefully Riku too.


	16. The Truth About Ansem

It was storming when Sora returned to Hollow Bastion. He made a hurried, but successful landing on the castle's postern and jumped out of the ship to find Krillin and Gohan waiting for him.

"Let's get inside." Krillin insisted.

They led him inside and through a series of corridors to a secluded room full of book cases and strange diagrams. Upon the wall was a large portrait of Ansem (though he looked a bit younger and had brown eyes). Leon and the attractive dark haired woman who confronted Cloud were there too. Leon introduced her as "Tifa".

"Sora, we're gonna search more of the castle." said Leon. "You help Tifa search this room."

They left and Sora watched Tifa begin flipping through books.

"Hey…Tifa…" he began, wanting to start their acquaintance on good terms. "I'm sorry…about Cloud that day."

"Oh, you don't need to be sorry." she said casually. "I just…get frustrated with him sometimes.

"Well, you did tell him to talk to **someone**." Sora said, in Cloud's defense.

"Yeah, but I expected it to be Leon or Aerith, not some boy he hardly knows…no offense."

"Um…what are you doing?" Sora asked as Tifa began patting the wall.

"Well, I think there might be…ah!"

She hit a hidden panel on the wall and part of the wall lit up and then vanished to reveal a catwalk. Tifa whipped out a cellular phone and began thumbing some buttons. In a matter of seconds, Leon, Krillin, and Gohan returned.

"Well whaddya know?" Leon muttered.

They followed the catwalk to a large cold room. Leon flipped a switch and the lights flickered on to reveal a large computer in the middle of the room. Every once in a while, when Sora visited Kairi, she let him use her personal computer, but this one was much bigger and more advanced. Leon turned it on, but couldn't access it without a password.

"Sora…you know Ansem better than most of us. Try a few words."

Sora began typing in phrases that he knew meant something to Ansem; he tried _seeker of darkness, door to darkness, power of darkness, _and _kingdom hearts_. None of them worked. It looked like it would be a really long password, so he typed all of the phrases together but it still didn't let him log in.

"Let's have another look in the study." Leon suggested. Maybe there's a clue in there.

They went back to the study and Tifa was drawn to the portrait of Ansem. She pulled it down to reveal a message on the wall. It read: **Hollow Main Security DTD. **

"DTD…could that be _Door To Darkness_?" Gohan wondered.

"I tried _door to darkness_." said Sora.

"What about the door to darkness?" a familiar voice asked.

They whirled around to see a tall, robust man with spiky black hair that almost put Sora's to shame. He wore a reddish orange uniform over a blue undershirt much like Gohan's. He could only have been one man.

"Dad!" Gohan cried, rushing over to hug his dad. Goku then hugged Krillin and shook hands with Leon and Tifa before addressing Sora.

"It's good to finally see you, Sora." He said, grasping Sora's hand with commendable strength. "You were talking about the door to darkness?"

"Yes, sir." said Sora. "We're trying to access Ansem's computer. We think the password has something to do with the door to darkness."

"Well, the door can be accessed when the seven Princesses of Heart are gathered." said Goku

Ah, of course!"

Sora rushed back to the computer and began typing; He knew how to spell Kairi's name but it took him a few tries to get the others right. Finally, he came up with _chihiro akane kagome serenity sakura shita kairi_. That did it, he was logged in! He moved the cursor to the search engine and started typing in the things he wanted to look up: the Realm of Darkness, the Heartless, and the Nobodies. The computer had no information on the Nobodies and could tell him nothing about the Dark Realm or the Heartless that he didn't already know. Finally, he typed in _Ansem _and an image popped up. It was a picture of a middle-aged man with pale blond hair, amber eyes, and a short beard.

"Wonder who that is." said Krillin.

"I see you got things working." said Goku, as he entered the room.

"Yeah, but all we found was a picture of some guy we don't know."

"That's Ansem." Goku said, sounding alarmingly sure of himself.

"Wha…what are you talking about?"

"That's Ansem the wise, Sora."

Sora looked from the picture to Goku. He grabbed Goku's hand and ushered him forcefully back into the study. He then pointed to the portrait of the man that he knew as Ansem.

"**This **is Ansem, Goku!" he said. "You know… the guy we fought!"

"Hmm, guess I have some explaining to do." said Goku, scratching his head."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked, trying not to sound too demanding.

"Well…" Goku began. "The man in this picture is definitely the one who wanted to take over Kingdom Hearts, but…what you actually defeated was his Heartless."

He gave them a moment to absorb this. It made sense to Sora, at least.

"You see…he wasn't really Ansem the wise, he just told you he was."

"WHAT? You mean we went through all that trouble to beat an imposter?" Krillin demanded.

"That's right, but he still had to be stopped." Goku stated calmly.

"So what was his real name?" asked Gohan.

Goku's face turned quite solemn and he let out a sigh.

"His name…was Xehanort."

"Xehanort?"

"Yes…I knew Xehanort years ago; he was an evil man even then. When I came to this world to meet Ansem, I tried to warn him about Xehanort, but he dismissed my warning."

"Why?" Sora asked.

"Well, at some point Xehanort got amnesia or something." Goku explained "As far as Ansem was concerned, Xehanort wasn't guilty of a thing."

"I'm guessing Xehanort's amnesia didn't last very long." said Krillin.

"So…what happened to the real Ansem?" Sora asked.

"I wish I knew." Goku said grimly. "I could use his help right now."

A terrible thought occurred to Sora; _what if Xehanort killed the real Ansem?_

"So, at some point Xehanort became a Heartless." Gohan stated. "Does that mean a Nobody was born too?"

"Yes, and that Nobody is the organization's leader."

Sora clutched his heart. This was too much! He thought he'd actually accomplished something when he defeated the False Ansem, but now it seemed like he hadn't accomplished anything! His worst enemy was still out there in some form or another threatening everything he held dear.

* * *

><p>Xigbar marched into the lounge and found Demyx…sleeping…as usual.<p>

"Hey, fruitcake!" he barked.

Demyx let out a yelp and sprang to his feet.

"Xemnas says 'Get to Hollow Bastion and take care of Sora'."

"But…I thought…*sigh*…oh boy…"

Demyx opened up a portal and dragged himself through. Things were finally starting to get interesting and Xigbar wanted Demyx out of the picture, he was pretty much useless anyway.


	17. The One-Day War

Sora spent the rest of that day of most of the next morning brooding. Terrible thoughts about Kairi were filling his mind. The blue-haired man told him that his only concern was the Heartless, but what about the one he called Axel? Could he have been the one who abducted her? Maybe he was going to use her to make Sora come to him so he could turn him into a Heartless, or maybe the organization was just using Kairi to make Sora do what they wanted. He looked down at the castle gates and saw Goku sparring with Leon. He'd talked to Goku about what happened, but Goku couldn't seem to access the Dark Realm either. There was however, a faint voice deep within him that told him Kairi was alright. He didn't much like it, but for now, he was just going to have to trust in it.

Suddenly, the sound of an explosion brought him back to the here and now. He looked past the castle and saw that the perimeter wall had been blasted apart and dozens of Heartless were creeping in. Goku and Leon were already on the move and he noticed Krillin in the courtyard below, surrounded by Heartless, Nobodies…and Medusa! He dropped down into the courtyard just as the Heartless (Air Soldiers and Gargoyles) proceeded to dismember the Nobodies. Medusa snapped her fingers and they dropped the Nobodies that were still whole and began advancing on Sora and Krillin.

She then shrouded herself in darkness and vanished as the Nobodies retreated and five more Heartless entered the fray. They were lithe and feminine-looking, floated on crystal orbs and wore flowing purple and magenta garments. They all cast _Blizzard _spells, but Sora and Krillin casted _Reflect _together and sent the spells into some of the approaching Air Soldiers. Then, Sora used the exploding energy ball-technique he learned on the jungle world when more of them closed in. The Gargoyles then swooped down, but Krillin swirled his staff and turned them all to stone.

Two girls then came running into the courtyard, looking thoroughly annoyed. One had short brown hair and wore a pink and white hooded top with a blue skirt. Her most distinctive feature was her eyes (one was green and the other was blue). Her companion had long, wild blond hair with a few braids and wore a yellow top with a short green skirt.

"Where's Medusa?" The blond one demanded.

"She disappeared." said Sora.

"Well that was PRETTY LAME of her!"

"She seemed like a nice lady…" the brunette said sadly.

"Hey! Do you know if there's any treasure in this castle?" the blond one asked spontaneously.

"Uh…probably." Sora replied with a shrug.

"SWEET!" the two girls squealed happily as they rushed off to parts unknown.

When Sora and Krillin got to the ruined bailey, they found Goku and Gohan each taking on five Nobodies at once.

"Leon and the others went toward the valley!" Gohan called out to them. "You'd better get over there!"

Sora and Krillin dashed beyond the damaged wall and toward a ravine when a mass of darkness appeared before them. They came to a halt and when the darkness cleared, a boy in a black cloak was standing before them. He had dirty blond hair that stood on end at the top.

"Eh…hey…you guys are lookin' lively." He said in a simpering tone.

"Get lost." Krillin sneered, firing a spell at the boy's feet.

The boy gave a yelp and hopped back, cringing.

"How'd a pansy like you get into the organization?" Sora asked, with a slight chuckle.

"Heh…you know not to judge people by appearance."

"Yeah, but you're not really a person are you." Sora retorted.

"Sh…shut your mouth, traitor!" The boy spat, trying unsuccessfully to sound intimidating.

He raised his hand, conjured a large blue sitar, and began strumming it. The tune, though not exactly displeasing possessed a terrible emptiness that enthralled Sora. Out of nowhere came a burst of water so powerful that it knocked Sora off his feet.

"Not so lively now, are we?" the boy asked in a mocking tone.

Krillin was about to cast lighting, but water had spread all over the ground and he couldn't risk electrocuting himself and Sora. The boy conjured three spheres of water and sent them flying into the walls, breaking off huge chunks and sending them tumbling down on Krillin. Sora rushed to aid him, but the boy sent more spheres of water at him, knocking him to the ground again.

"Why don't you just give in?" The boy said over the haunting tune of his sitar. "It's not so bad…being empty…"

He hurled more spheres of water but Sora cast _Blizzard _and the spheres turned to ice and fell to the ground. He kept casting _Blizzard _again and again until his Keyblade became glazed in a coat of frost. He then jumped high into the air and hurled the Keyblade at the boy's feet. The soaked ground beneath him quickly froze and before long, he was trapped in a thick coat of ice. When Sora landed, he summoned the Keyblade back into his hand and swung hard, slicing the boy in half. The boy's body slowly began dissolving into pure water.

"Ugh…blew it again…" he muttered as his body evaporated.

Goku and Gohan came and helped Krillin out of the rubble. A loud roar drew their attention to the valley, where not one, but two large Behemoth Heartless were roaming about.

"We've got to get over–"

"LOOK OUT!"

Gohan shoved his father out of the way as a missile from a patrolling robotic Heartless came toward them. The missile hit Gohan right in the chest and the blast threw him against the wall. There was now a ghastly hole in his chest.

"No…" Sora breathed pouring a healing potion into Gohan's wound. "no…no."

Gohan's wound healed but he would not open his eyes. Sora tried shaking and slapping him. Suddenly, he sensed some strange energy coming from Goku. He whirled around and saw Goku shaking violently with a golden glow around him. His once black hair stood on end and turned a brilliant gold. He spoke in a low growl.

"We'll destroy them all."

He drew his Keyblade and jetted through the ravine with tremendous speed, incinerating every Heartless he touched. He reached the valley in a matter of seconds and beheaded the first Behemoth in one swipe.

"C'mon, Sora!"

Krillin got to his feet and sprinted into the ravine after Goku. Sora wiped the tears from his eyes and did the same. As he ran, a horde of Soldier and spellcaster-type Heartless appeared to ambush him. He cast _Reflect _and sent the spellcasters' spells right back at them and Yuffie dropped down and shredded the Soldiers with her shuriken. He leapt over her and kept running. Ahead, he saw Leon struggling with two large, bulky sword-wielding Nobodies. He flipped forward, beheaded one of them for Leon, and kept running without looking back until he saw Tifa surrounded by helmeted, twin sword-wielding Nobodies. He flung his Keyblade so hard that it sliced through four Nobodies and then kept running.

Finally he reached the valley and saw Cloud facing down the other Behemoth while Goku and Krillin kept a swarm of winged, lance-wielding Nobodies at bay. Cloud held out his sword and Sora jumped on the broad end. Cloud propelled Sora toward the Behemoth and he brought the Keyblade down on its horn, shattering it. The Behemoth whipped its massive head violently, knocking Sora away as Cloud rocketed toward it and plunged his blade into its chest. In a matter of seconds, it dissolved into black smoke. Cloud then took off into the air as Goku (who was no longer glowing gold) and Krillin rushed to Sora's side. Drove after drove of Heartless was making its way out of the deep canyon and toward them. There must have been a thousand of them; Soldiers, Air Soldiers, Large Bodies, Defenders, Wyverns, Armored Knights, and many others he'd never seen before!

"Look!"

Krillin pointed toward the top of a cliff where a tan-skinned man with long silver hair dressed in a black cloak was watching them.

"It's him! Xehanort!"

Goku took off toward Xehanort as the Heartless began closing in.

"GO!" Sora shouted to Krillin. "Don't let him get away!"

Krillin took off just as the Heartless closed in on Sora. He rose high into the air and began swooping left and right like a bird of prey, shattering every Heartless he touched. This strange phenomenon didn't last long though, so he jumped up and grabbed one of the patrolling robot-like Heartless. It began firing lasers and missiles in every direction, which caused an avalanche on each side. Sora was safe in the air, but hundreds of Heartless were crushed by the tumbling rocks. He dropped down and more of the robots began firing at him, so he cast _Reflect _and sent their lasers into the other flying Heartless. He did this again and sent their lasers right back at them. A number of Heartless were trying to dig their way out of the rocks beneath him, so he ran for it. He scurried up the ruined cliff and saw Krillin being carried into the air by two of the winged Nobodies. He also saw Goku engaged in a duel with Xehanort's Nobody, who was fighting back with a pair of pale silver energy blades. He dashed forward and tried to strike Xehanort in the back, but he parried with one of his blades.

"WHERE'S KAIRI?" he demanded. "WHERE'S RIKU?"

"I am not responsible for your friends, Sora." Xehanort replied, as though he were talking to an irresponsible child.

Before Sora could say or do anything else, Xehanort warped behind him and trapped him in a silver force field, and then he proceeded to fight Goku. When he spotted Krillin hurrying toward them, he tore open a dark portal and slipped inside, but Goku did something Sora would never have expected; he jumped right in after Xehanort. The force field trapping Sora vanished, but the dark portal had closed.

"What are we gonna do now?" he wondered.

"Goku can take care of himself." Krillin assured him.

"I know that! I meant what do we do about…"

Growling in frustration, Sora cast his Keyblade aside.

"Hey, Sora. Been a while hasn't it?"

Sora turned around to see another black-cloaked man. He had long spiky red hair and sea green eyes.

"You probably don't remember, but my name's Axel."

"Axel! Where's Kairi?" Sora demanded.

"Never mind that right now." said Axel. "I've got somethin' important to tell ya. Xemnas is using you to destroy the Heartless. That's his plan."

"Xemnas…is THAT what he calls himself now?"

"Yeah, I'll show ya."

Axel began tracing the fiery letters: _X-E-M-N-A-S _in the air. He then removed the X and rearranged the letters to form _ANSEM_.

"Okay…so why does he want me to destroy the Heartless?"

There was a burst of darkness and the blue-haired man appeared. Axel shrouded himself in darkness and fled at the sight of him.

"Sora, do you want to see Kairi again?" he asked in his emotionless voice.

"Y-yes…" Sora breathed.

"Show me." the blue-haired man insisted. "Show me how badly you want it."

Sora stared at him for a moment in disbelief before falling to his knees.

"Please…"

"Hm…very well." said the blue-haired man. "But not just yet…not until you've done your part."

"What do you want from me?" Sora asked.

"Kingdom Hearts."

"Huh?"

"Summon your Keyblade."

Sora did as he was told and the man pointed to his Keyblade.

"Every Heartless you slay with that Keyblade turns back into a heart. That's what we need from you."

A horde of Heartless began creeping toward Sora.

"Pitiful Heartless, mindlessly collecting hearts…" the man rasped. "..and yet they know not the true power of what they hold. The rage of the Keyblade releases those hearts. They gather in darkness, masterless and free... until they join together to form **Kingdom Hearts**. And when that time comes, we can truly, finally exist."

The Heartless suddenly wrestled Krillin to the ground; they were going to remove his heart! Sora could not let that happen. He lost Gohan and would not lose Krillin too. He dashed forward and hacked away at the Heartless.

"Yes, Sora." said the blue-haired man. "More hearts."

With that, he vanished in a shroud of darkness. Krillin began blasting Heartless after Heartless, but there were too many of them. But if Sora fought them, he'd only be helping the organization.

"_What am I supposed to do if I can't use the Keyblade?" _

Before an answer came to Sora, a dark portal opened underneath him and he sank...deeper…and deeper.


	18. The Whirlwind Lancer

Sora waded through the darkness toward a black-cloaked man, thinking it might have been Xemnas or the blue-haired man. Before he reached him though, the man laid out a small box and vanished. When Sora reached the box, he opened it and found a photo and an ice cream bar inside. He examined the photo and saw that Hayner, Pence, Olette, and one other boy were in it. It was the boy Sora saw in his dreams before he woke from his year-long sleep.

_Roxas…_

The name just seemed to pop into his head. This boy's name was Roxas…but why was he important and why did his face look so much like Sora's? He then turned his attention to the ice cream bar. He doubted that it was poisoned or anything, the organization **did **need him alive. He unwrapped it and decided to have a taste. He spat it out almost immediately, it tasted like sea-salt! He tossed the ice cream aside and slipped the photo in his pocket.

"_Well, I'm finally in the Dark Realm…" _he thought. _"But I'll never find Kairi like this! I need to get out of here!"_

He pointed his Keyblade high above his head and prayed that it would take him out of the darkness. After a few long, uncomfortable minutes, a white beam shot out and a great, shining keyhole appeared. He began swimming up until he emerged from the darkness and found himself lying under a bright orange evening sky. As he looked around and took in the dark, yet mystical atmosphere, he got an idea of where he was. He started walking until he heard someone call his name…it was Afro!

"Hey, Afro." he breathed.

"Sora…Xaldin is here."

"The man who was controlling you before?"

"Yes…he's waiting for me…on top of Cherry Hill. I could use your help."

"Sure." said Sora, lifting his Keyblade over his shoulder. "If you ask me, it's time for a little payback."

Afro shook his head.

"I will deal with Xaldin. I need you to keep his creatures away."

Sora stared for a moment and then nodded. He didn't like it, but there was no arguing with Afro. He took Sora through what may once have been a fair but was in ruins. When they reached the top of the hill, they found Xaldin waiting for them. He had a sharp face, dark eyes, thick sideburns, and long black dreadlocks.

"So, Afro…you came after all." he said in a low, morbid voice. "And you even bought Sora, how very convenient."

Afro drew his sword and held it toward Xaldin's face.

"But of course, you're eager to die a warrior's death…and you shall have your wish. But we can't have Sora getting in our way."

Before Sora could make a move, Xaldin raised his hand and sent him flying with a mighty blast of wind. Two Wyvern Heartless appeared and he did a wild mid-air spin, slicing through them with his Keyblade. When he landed, he looked up and saw Xaldin fighting Afro with a pair of lances. Both of them were incredible fighters, parrying and countering each other's blows so fast that Sora's eyes could barely keep up with them. Xaldin lifted one of his lances and spun it so fast that it would have sliced Afro's head right off had he not ducked. Afro sliced the blades off both of Xaldin's lances and tried to run him through, but he warped behind him, conjured another lance and began thrusting relentlessly at Afro, who parried each strike.

Afro tried to put Xaldin in a choke-hold, but Xaldin grabbed Afro's wrist and snapped it. Afro gave a painful growl as Xaldin drove his boot into his face. He was about to try and spear Afro's chest when Sora hurled his Keyblade into his knee, cracking it. Afro sprung to his feet and began slashing wildly at Xaldin. It seemed to be a pretty even match until Xaldin was pushed into a corner, and then he summoned gusts of wind so strong and so focused that they sliced into Afro like a dozen blades. Sora immediately cast _Reflect _on Afro, deflecting Xaldin's next strike. Sora then cast _Cure _on Afro.

Without warning, Xaldin summoned a gust of wind which swept Sora high into the air and into the clutches of four winged Nobodies. He kicked and squirmed wildly as Xaldin began circling Afro, floating centimeters from the ground and thrusting at Afro from all sides. Afro whipped his blade in all directions blocking Xaldin's thrusts, and swung it in an arc, missing Xaldin's neck by a hair. Xaldin rose into the air and cried "Beware the face of despair!" as he unleashed a blast of wind so powerful that it sent Afro, Sora, and even the Nobodies flying off the hill and into the valley below.

When Sora found the strength to lift his head, he saw Xaldin make a graceful landing and begin dragging himself toward Afro. He could think of only one spell that would render someone like Xaldin helpless. Before Xaldin could lift his lance, Sora cast _Gravity_. Xaldin fell down on one knee and strained to move as a web of cracks formed in the ground under him. Afro marched over to him and lifted his blade high.

"Sora, don't look."

Sora shut his eyes and heard the sound of Afro's blade slicing through flesh and bone. He opened them and saw Xaldin lying on the ground without a head. His body then crumbled into dust which blew away in the wind.

"Sora…you saved me again…thank you."

Despite his grim features, Sora could tell Afro was grateful. There was a certain serenity in his voice.

"Goodbye, Afro." Sora said softly, grasping Afro's hand. "May you live the rest of your life in peace."

"I will." Afro replied with a very faint smile. "Thanks to you."

Sora pointed his Keyblade in what he believed was the general direction of Hollow Bastion and a white beam shot out of it. Another large shining Keyhole appeared and Sora marched through it. When he emerged, he found himself in the valley just outside Hollow Bastion. He'd reached his home away from home!


	19. Cavern of Remembrance

Xigbar returned to the castle, riddled with bullets from his last excursion. He picked up his hit list and checked off the two crazed child assassins he'd just eliminated.

"Who should I off next?" he muttered as he went down his list. "Let's see…Makoto…Revy…Bandou…Train…EDWARD!"

Edward was in Hollow Bastion right now. He'd take him out now and save the others for a later time.

Sora made it into his room and collapsed on the bed. His muscles were aching and he needed a nap in the worst way. He was just about to dose off when his door burst open and he recognized Honey's voice.

"I told you he was here!"

Sora looked up and saw Krillin.

"Ya had me worried for a while, buddy." he said. "Listen, Gohan's in the medical wing. We think he's gonna make it."

"Good…" Sora sighed as he lay back down. "That's good to hear."

Krillin left him alone to nap for a few hours and then he awoke. He was still a bit sore and so he decided to go and look for Krillin. Just as he was about to leave, his door burst open and one of the girls he'd encountered during the Heartless invasion ran in. It was the girl with the wild blond hair and she was carrying a large egg.

"Sora! Lookie what Leon gave me for helping out! A Chocobo egg!"

"Hm…that's nice." said Sora, trying to sound interested. "You gonna hatch it?"

"Nah, I'm kinda hungry."

"HUH?"

"Hee, just kidding!" she giggled. "My name's Rikku, by the way…with two K's."

Sora said goodbye to Rikku, found Krillin, and asked him for a potion or something. Krillin told him about a large hot spring just outside the town and so he decided to go there. Along the way, he passed Aerith was was eager to show him the progress they had made on the town. Sora was quite astounded by how good the place looked now.

"Soon…Radiant Garden will be back to its former beauty." she said happily.

"Radiant Garden?"

"Yes, that's the true name of our home."

Radiant Garden…that was a name Sora could get used to. One day, he wanted to bring Kairi back here so she could see how beautiful her old home was. He made it to the hot spring, stripped out of his Keyblade Wielder's garb, and settled in. He'd never been in water this hot before, but once he got used to it he felt his muscles relaxing. His relaxation was interrupted however, when he heard voices, both female. He swam to the other end and hid behind a large rock. After a few moments, he peeked through a crack in the rock and gasped at the sight of Tifa and Yuffie…stripping! He shut his eyes tight and opened them again when they had gotten into the water. They had no idea he was there, but it was only a matter of time before they spotted his clothes. He needed a way of getting out of here unseen. He racked his brain for a minute and it hit him, the _Stop _spell! He summoned his Keyblade, waved it and whispered "Stop." He peeked through the crack and saw that both Tifa and Yuffie were frozen in time. With no time to hesitate, he sprang out of the water, snatched his clothes and ran behind a pillar to get dressed. By the time he'd forced his jacket back on, time had started back up.

He waited a few minutes and heard Yuffie and Tifa getting out of the water. Only when he heard them finally leave did he step out from behind the pillar. But just as he was about to make his way back into town, he heard a thunderous crashing behind him. It was another Behemoth headed toward the town. Sora summoned his Keyblade and charged toward it when…

"Hey, you! You smell like ass!"

A small funny-looking boy with black hair was standing atop a nearby rock. When he got the Behemoth's attention he turned around, pulled his shorts down and started doing the most laughably shameless dance Sora had ever seen. Hit distracted the Behemoth long enough for Sora to jump up and behead it. The boy introduced himself as Shinnosuke Nohara or Shinchan.

"I'm rude, I'm crass an' I like shakin' my ass!" Shinchan declared.

"Heh, Yeah…I can see that." Sora responded with a chuckle.

It was fairly late when he returned to the castle, so he went down to the library and started looking at books. He found one about swords that looked interesting. He took it to the table and started reading it. It had lots of information on all kinds of swords from all over the universe; where they were believed to originate, how they were made, how to wield them, and how to best handle opponents wielding them. After about half an hour, he fell asleep at the table.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Sora went to a café for some chocolate milk and a cheese Danish. As he ate, he examined the sketches that he found in the old mansion at Twilight Town. He recognized all but one. It was a picture of a twisted brown and green castle under a deep blue sky. Whoever left these sketches for him must have had a reason, but what? The drawing of the golden-haired boy he knew to be "Roxas" also troubled him. In the photo that the cloaked stranger left him, Roxas wore a casual white and grey outfit, but in the sketch, he wore a black cloak like a member of the organization. His head was beginning to hurt, maybe he shouldn't have chosen such a sugary breakfast.<p>

He was about to leave, when a boy came to join him. The boy had light blond hair in a braided ponytail and wore a red hooded coat over a black uniform. After making a momentary face of disgust at the milk Sora was drinking, he introduced himself as Edward Elric. He was interested in Sora's journey and the Keyblade. Sora scratched his head for a moment and told Edward about how the organization had taken Kairi and how they were using her to make him collect hearts for them. Edward seemed to understand what it was like to be used by other people and wished Sora luck in finding Kairi. When Sora inquired about Edward's journeys, he was surprised to learn that Edward was an accomplished alchemist. When he was little, he and his younger brother performed a forbidden alchemic ritual in an attempt to bring their mother back from the dead and as a result, he lost an arm and a leg (literally) and his brother's body was completely destroyed, so Edward was forced to transfer his brother's soul into a suit of armor.

"So, where is your brother now?" Sora asked and Edward replied, "We were separated when our world got taken by those Heartless things about a year ago. Hey, Sora…Have you heard of the Philosopher's Stone?"

"No. What is it?"

"It's a mythical item used for alchemy. With that stone, I might be able to make a new body for my brother." Edward explained. "I heard rumors that there's a stone somewhere on this world that fits its description. It's supposed to be in a cavern under the castle somewhere. I could really use some help getting to it."

"I'd be happy to help you!" Sora said getting to his feet. "Let's go!"

"Uh…wait…don't you want something in return?" Edward asked, sounding a little suspicious.

"No, not really."

Edward shrugged and let Sora lead him up to the castle's postern, where Sora figured they might be able to spot a cave or something in the surrounding canyon walls.

"Hey, Sora!" Edward called out. "I think I found it!"

He showed Sora a deep, wide crack in the castle wall; it must have been made during the invasion. Sora looked inside, shone a light from the tip of his Keyblade and saw that there was an opening that went pretty deep. He squeezed through the crack and dropped into the opening, followed closely by Edward.

When they finally reached the bottom, they found themselves in a deep purple cavern; it was rich with glowing minerals, though none of them matched Edward's description of the stone. The whole place had a certain…mystical atmosphere that Sora couldn't explain. There were three valves on the wall, so he decided to turn them and heard the sound of machinery. They ventured further into the cavern and found what appeared to be a large mining area filled with pipes and moving gizmos.

Together they leapt, slid, vaulted, and soared over obstacles until they were confronted by a horde of tall black humanoid Heartless with long tendrils on their heads. The name _Neoshadow _instantly popped into Sora's mind. Edward reached out with his powers and made large pillars of rock stretch down to crush them. They walked by the crushed Neoshadows and reached a door that Sora guessed was sealed for years. Edward kicked the door down with his powerful metal leg and they entered a long white hall lined with beautifully crafted pillars. Suddenly, an overwhelming feeling of dread came over Sora. It felt as though he were on the verge of discovering something that he was going to regret. The further he trekked down these halls, the more he felt as though some painful memory was going to surface or some terrible truth was about to make itself known. He really wished that Riku were with him right now.

"Sora, what's wrong."

Sora felt his cheek and realized that a tear was sliding down it.

"It's nothing." he growled, brushing the tear away.

He pushed forward, ashamed of nearly letting his fear and dread overcome him. He was a Keyblade master; he was supposed to be stronger than this! When he reached the end of the hall, a swarm of red and blue bat-like Heartless appeared. He gracefully spiraled upward, slicing them all to pieces. He then pointed his Keyblade and unlocked a pair of large doors. Together, he and Edward entered a large, round room with a computer in the middle that looked like it had recently been assaulted. Outside of the room, Sora could see nothing but rising water.

"Hey, Sora!" a familiar voice barked. "Look what I saved for ya!"

Sora whirled around with Keyblade in hand, but could not stop the bright green bolts that were speeding toward him. They hit him right in the chest and he fell back. The flesh around the wound felt numb and his muscles began to tighten painfully.

"How d'ya like my venom rounds?" the man with the eye patch taunted. "Doesn't feel too good, does it?"

Edward tried to rush over and help Sora, but the one-eyed stranger in the black cloak fired a few venomous green bolts at his feet, forcing his to stop in his tracks.

"You ain't goin' anywhere, Fullmetal." He sneered.

"You bastard!" Edward spat.

"Yep, I get that a lot." the one-eyed man sneered. "I knew it'd be easy to lure you down here if I leaked rumors about that stone, but I didn't expect to find Sora down here too. Guess I'll just have to off ya both."

"Why would you wanna kill **me**?" Edward demanded.

"I don't need a reason, shorty." the one-eyed man taunted.

"YER GONNA REGRET THAT!"

Edward morphed his automail hand into a long blade and batted away another volley of bolts. When he got close enough to strike the man though, he warped to the other side of the room. Edward looked around and realized that if he used his powers in this underwater structure, he could put Sora in danger. He couldn't do that, he liked Sora.

"What's the matter? Afraid to use yer powers…you little shit?" the one-eyed man taunted.

Sora hadn't been in this much pain since his battle with the False Ansem a year ago. As he gazed at the man responsible for his pain, he felt a great darkness stirring within him. Suddenly he flashed back to a year ago, when he plunged the dark Keyblade into his heart to release Kairi's. When the flashback ended, he saw the world through a dim yellow-orange veil. He saw the man who hurt him and lunged. Nothing else mattered, nothing else existed. It was just him and the cloaked man.

Edward wasn't sure what he was seeing, but he wasn't sure he liked it. A black aura engulfed Sora for a moment and when the darkness cleared, every inch of Sora was black as jet and he pounced on the one-eyed man with the speed and agility of a wild-cat. Long claws stretched from Sora's fingertips and he slashed the man's face, leaving a trail of black vapor.

"Dammit, not again!" the man growled as he kicked Sora off of him and warped away. Sora turned to face Edward and he saw that Sora's face was jet-black and featureless and his eyes were glowing yellow. He began to approach Edward, who had his blade ready in case he needed to defend himself. Suddenly, the blackness evaporated from Sora to reveal a perfectly normal Sora underneath. He staggered forward and fell. Edward went over to help him to his feet.

"You alright?" he asked.

"I'll be fine…" said Sora. "…as soon as I get out of this place."

As Sora made his way out of the cavern, he couldn't help thinking of the flashback he'd had. Why did he have it then? Perhaps it was an effect of the cavern itself…and perhaps he remembered that event because it was most important. He went into that place thinking he'd find discover some terrible truth. He emerged only with more unanswered questions, which in some ways were worse. He hoped the answers would come to him soon.

"I think we made an okay team." said Edward.

"Yeah." said Sora forcing a smile. "I hope we get to team up again."

The two heroes wished each other luck on their quests before going their separate ways.


	20. The One-Winged Angel

Sora was on a cliff overlooking the decrepit old fortress far from the town. He was trying to put yesterday's events out of him mind with some solo training. He felt sluggish at first, but was back in perfect sync with the Keyblade in mere minutes. He was determined to get stronger and faster so the one-eyed man wouldn't take him by surprise again. His private training was interrupted when an apathetic voice said "That's an interesting sword you have." He whirled around and saw a tall man with long white hair dressed in a black coat with red lining. He had a single black-feathered wing on his right shoulder and a sword with a seven-foot-long blade at his side (a katana...no, a nodachi, by the looks of it). Sora knew at once who he was; he was Sephiroth, the man Cloud warned him about! How long had he been watching? Why hadn't Sora noticed him?

"That wouldn't happen to be a Keyblade, would it?"

His voice sounded a lot like Sesshomaru's, he carried himself similarly too. His face however, bore a disturbing resemblance to Cloud's.

"I've heard the stories…" he went on, "The Keyblade is believed to be one of the most powerful weapons in all creation. It's believed to have the power to bring harmony…or destruction to all worlds. The things I could accomplish with that kind of power…"

"Well, you're out of luck." Sora said, trying to keep his composure. "The Keyblade chose **me **as its wielder."

"Is that right?" said Sephiroth, an unreadable smile forming on his face. "I wonder if it won't change its mind once I kill you."

Sephiroth drew his long nodachi and Sora rolled to the left just in time to avoid having his head sliced off. He ducked and jumped, to evade Sephiroth's strikes and cast _Reflect _to block them (not daring to make physical contact) He kept this up for several minutes without getting a single hit on Sephiroth, who was showing no signs of tiring out. He leapt back as far as he could and started firing spells, but they did little damage to Sephiroth. Then Sephiroth conjured six large black spheres and they closed in on Sora, who sent them away with _Reflect. _

Sephiroth darted toward Sora and pressed his assault, scoring several deep cuts in him, this time. Sora ignored the pain as best he could and knocked Sephiroth's blade back with a well-timed _Reflect _and hurled his Keyblade so hard into Sephiroth's face that he thought he heard his jaw crack a little. He leapt back and kept hurling and resummoning his Keyblade but Sephiroth batted it away with his nodachi every time. In one last lighting-swift move, Sephiroth darted forward and thrust his blade into Sora's abdomen. The shock was so great, that Sora could only stare. As soon as Sephiroth pulled his blade out, Sora dropped his Keyblade and fell back gasping. His vision was beginning to darken as he saw Sephiroth snatch up his Keyblade and take flight. Sora slowly reached into one of the pouches on his breeches and pulled out a Hi-Potion. Though his arm was trembling, he managed to crack it open and let the potion dribble into his mouth. He dropped the bottle and lay there for a while; the bleeding slowed until it finally stopped and the strength finally returned to his body. He slowly got up and began dragging himself toward the town.

* * *

><p>Cloud stood high on a wall in the borough, watching the construction on the castle. Slowly, but surely, his childhood home was being restored to its former beauty. He didn't think that it mattered for a while, but after how well they'd all handled the second Heartless invasion, he'd reconsidered. There was only one thing that stood between him and a peaceful life…<p>

"Cloud…"

He turned around and saw Sora dragging himself up the steps, covered in dried blood. He jumped down from the wall and asked Sora what happened.

"Sephiroth attacked me…took my Keyblade…" Sora said weakly.

"Where IS he?"

"I thought…I saw him…flying that way."

Sora pointed in the direction of the old fortress.

Cloud looked from Sora to the fortress and finally said "Get back to the castle. I'll take care of Sephiroth."

"Thanks, Cloud..." Sora hissed, wincing at his wound, Cloud walking off slowly. Sora started off for the castle but stopped as he made his way to the steps. Maybe Cloud _would_ need him.

* * *

><p>Sephiroth held a long, shining, red and blue Keyblade close by, comprised of a thin shaft and a flaming wing at the head. This One Winged Angel Keyblade was such a powerful weapon, Sephiorth felt untouchable.<p>

"So... you've finally come."

He sensed Cloud approaching and turned to see him glaring at him, the Buster Blade drawn and at the ready.

"It's good to see you've stopped running." Sephiorth taunted in his icy monotone.

"Shaddup." Cloud spat, stepping forward, readying his sword. Sephiroth's face split into a small, barely noticeable smirk.

"Do you really think you can escape your destiny, Cloud?"

"SHADDUP!" Cloud roared as he lunged for the silver haired warrior.

Sephiroth easily dodged his enemy's attack and counter-attacked from behind. Crashing to the ground, Cloud glared up at Sephiroth. This was not like their last fight. Sephiroth seemed different somehow. Was it the Keyblade? Leaping up, Cloud shot for his opponent, not swinging but instead coming to a stop, face to face with Sephiroth, who didn't move a muscle. Cloud glared into Sephiroth's green eyes as Sephiroth smirked, not breaking his stare. Cloud could feel it. Sephiroth _was_ a completely different being with his new weapon. Knowing Sephiroth was waiting for Cloud to attack, he jumped back instead, Sephiroth still not moving a muscle.

"You know you can't win, Cloud." Sephiroth said in a hoarse whisper.

They both knew, Cloud _had _to attack. Gritting his teeth, Cloud unleashed a new attack Sephiroth had not seen before. Swinging the Buster Sword, Cloud fired three giant balls of fire for his nemesis, Sephiroth striking them all down. Seeing his chance, Cloud shot for Sephiroth, the two locking blades in a flash of sparks. Almost instantly, Sephiroth began to overpower Cloud who dropped to his knees. Sliding onto his back, Cloud kicked up at Sephiroth, only for him to jump into the air, summoning a swarm of dark orbs surrounding Cloud. Watching them closely, Cloud swung his sword when they rushed for him, striking them all down in a single swing. Jumping up at Sephiroth, Cloud swung furiously for his enemy, Sephiroth matching each blow. Something else struck Cloud as odd. Sephiroth hadn't taken the offensive yet. Was he trying to wear Cloud down, or did he have another plan? Both of them falling back to the ground, they two jumped back from the other and began to pace the gorge, never dropping their stares. For a moment, Cloud glanced at the Keyblade. Why would it trade masters? Would defeating Sephiroth really cause it to return to Sora?

"Cloud! Don't let him win!"

Clouds eyes darted for Sora, who had returned to the gorge.

"You can get him! I know you can!"

Cloud glared for Sephiroth.

"You know why you lost the Keyblade, Sora?" Cloud said slowly, Sephiroth's face turning to a slight grimace. "You didn't trust in your heart, that which brought the Keyblade to you in the first place."

"That's right!" Tifa called, stepping out from behind a pillar. "You have a heart, too, Cloud! That's what sets you apart from him!"

"You are a fool." Sephiroth hissed, attacking Tifa. "His heart is as black as mine... and why shouldn't it be?" Dodging the swinging red and blue weapon, Tifa eyed him closely, jumping in and throwing a punch every few moments, only for Sephiroth to dodge her just as easily as she did.

"Then all he needs." she growled as she lifted herself for a kick into Sephiroth's abdomen "is someone to show him the way to the light. Someone to fill his heart with light!"

Sora, watching all the while as she wrestled with the silver haired swordsman, heard every word she said and felt what she was saying flow through his soul. Finally, his glare turned into a smile of confidence. Reaching out for Sephiroth, Sora could feel the Keyblade in the air. He trusted in his heart again. Summoning the Keyblade back to him (restored to its gold and silver form), Sora stood at ready as Sephiroth flew for Sora, his immensely long sword stretched out for the youth. Sora could already sense the attack. As Sephiroth shot past Sora, he didn't move. He could feel the gusts around him. Swinging the Keyblade around, he deflected countless strikes from Sephiroth's lightning fast strokes. The two turned for the other and charged, locking blades. Sora could see a small scowl on the dark swordsman's face, although he might as well be roaring with fury. Sephiroth wanted the Keyblade back, and he was willing to kill him for it this time. Eyes darting for Tifa and Cloud, Sora saw them watching. He knew they weren't going to help him. This fight was about him earning the Keyblade back. Sora could already feel Sephiroth overpowering him. The fight was already going to same way as before.

"On your knees." Sephiroth growled. "I want you to beg for death."

Wincing, Sora rolled to the side, Sephiroth cleaving his sword at Sora's arm, blood spurting across the ground of the chasm. Grabbing his arm, Sora narrowly dodged another deadly blow from Sephiroth as he held the deep cut in his arm. The black-clad warrior swung with immense reach for Sora, his blade so sharp smooth slices were left in the rocky ground. Sora slowly paced the gorge, achy and weak, knowing that Sephiroth could overpower him with the next strike. Swallowing hard, blood dripping down his arm, Sora charged for Sephiroth, jumping over the giant sword. Before Sephiroth could turn to counter, Sora threw his Keyblade for a Strike Raid, his weapon connecting straight to Sephiroth's back. Sephiroth fell to his knees, clutching his back and growling with malice.

Sephiroth turned to see Sora standing with a glare at Sephiroth. This wasn't right! How could the Keyblade wielder deliver such a powerful blow after the beating he had just taken? Sephiroth just made sport of him barely an hour earlier. How could he reclaim the Keyblade? It was then he heard it. Cloud charged for Sephiroth. Sephiroth turned and matched his enemy once for a moment, Cloud began to glow with a golden light while Sephiroth became shrouded in black lightning.

Tifa and Sora stepped back cautiously, watching them the whole while. After a moment more, they shot into the sky, disappearing in the clouds.

"I wonder if we'll ever see them again." said Sora.

"I guess we'll just have to wait." Tifa sighed. "I guess a little more waiting won't kill me. Here, this is for helping Cloud."

She handed Sora a silver wolf's head-shaped keychain. He removed the orange ball-keychain, attached the wolf's head and they Kingdom Key transformed into a large gunmetal grey weapon with bandages conspicuously wrapped around the blade, which was shaped like that of a modern key. The name _Fenrir _quickly came to mind. Sora made a few experimental swings, the _Fenrir _could have weighed a ton, yet he was swinging it around as though it were as light as a stick. He grinned with delight, anyone who challenged him was gonna get it now!

* * *

><p><strong>Note: <strong>My buddy, ShaD.23 took care of the second half of this chapter and I finished it up.


	21. Demon World Tournament

Sora awoke to a painful blunt force to his face. He got to his feet and when his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he found himself in some kind of dungeon with spikes lining the walls. He was not alone in this dungeon; there were six other people in there with him. He recognized one as Yusuke. There was a boy with spiky orange hair dressed in a black robe standing with his arms folded and another boy in a black suit with yellow eyes and black hair with three white stripes running through it, he was flanked by two blond girls who must have been sisters.

"Yusuke…what's going on?" he asked, rubbing his face.

"We're all Ha Des' prisoners." growled Yusuke. "He's hosting a fighting tournament and forcing all of us to participate."

"Alright, that's it!" Sora growled, summoning his Keyblade. "It's time to put a stop to this!"

"It's not that simple." said Yusuke grimly. "We'll be up against some of the strongest demons in the world and…he's got Keiko."

"Wha…?"

"I don't know how he got his hands on her, but he says he'll feed her to his demons if I don't compete."

Sora supposed he could postpone his search for Riku and Kairi in order to help Yusuke. Keiko seemed very good for him. The boy with the orange hair introduced himself as Ichigo and the boy with the striped hair introduced himself as Death the Kid. They had been invited to participate in the next Spirit World Tournament but were also abducted by Ha Des' demons. It wasn't long before a dark portal appeared and someone entered the dungeon. Sora recognized him as Ha Des' general.

"My master is ready for you." he growled.

He led them up a spiral staircase and into a large arena where Ha Des was waiting for them.

"Welcome to the Castle of Dark Illusions." he said, sounding disturbingly jolly. "My apologies for the way you were all brought here, but I promise it'll be worth your while. My Demon World Tournament will make Koenma's tournament look like a joke, you'll all forget about **Him** soon enough."

"Sounds like you have an inferiority complex." said Death the Kid.

Ha Des seemed momentarily taken aback, but quickly regained his composure and chuckled softly.

"You're a spirited one…good. I look forward to seeing you break."

Yusuke took a step toward Ha Des.

"If anything happens to Keiko, I swear I'll kill you, Ha Des." he hissed.

Ha Des was not intimidated in the least.

"Keep making empty threats and I might just let my demons devour her…and I'll make you watch."

Sora felt a surge of anger, but knew there was nothing he could do just yet; he was just going to have to play Ha Des' game. Yusuke and Kid were ushered to the side and Sora and Ichigo were called into the ring. Demons of all shapes and sizes filled the stands and were roaring with delight. Ha Des however sat alone in a balcony high above the rest. He produced a microphone and spoke into it.

"For the first match, Sora and Ichigo Kurosaki will face off against…THE MASKED BEAST…DES GARDIUS!"

A large fiend with armored orange skin (about as tall as Darkside Heartless) stomped its way into the arena as cries of "Bloodbath!" and "Slaughter!" erupted from the stands. The fiend had three elongated heads with ornamental blue masks covering its faces.

"Okay, Sora. Let's hurry and kill this bastard!"

Before Sora could even reply, Ichigo recklessly dashed toward Des Gardius, drew a red and black katana, and leapt high into the air. He began slashing relentlessly at Des Gardius, leaving a trail of black-red flames with each swipe. He allowed himself to land as Des Gardius (literally) fell to pieces on the arena floor, having not laid a claw on Ichigo. All of Des Gardius' remains dissolved into particles save for the three masks it wore, which rose into the air and connected. They melted and twisted together to form a grotesque orange mask which flew toward Ichigo and attached itself to his face. He began thrashing and struggling to rip the mask from is face but seemed unable. Sora rushed to help him, but a bloody red glow formed around him and he began attacking Sora.

"Maybe I should've mentioned that when Des Gardius is defeated it leaves behind the Mask of Remnants, which takes control of the one responsible." Ha Des said, savoring every moment of Sora's predicament.

Ichigo waved his katana and sent a wave of black-red energy at Sora, who reduced the damage he took with _Protega _and rolled to the side as Ichigo leapt toward him. He began stepping back, parrying Ichigo's strikes. Not only was the Fenrir powerful, but its reach was considerable, which allowed Sora to keep his distance. If he could just concentrate long enough to strike that mask, maybe he could pry it from Ichigo's face. He jumped as Ichigo swept his blade low in an attempt to sever his legs and launched a fireball into the cursed mask; it pulsated for a bit but still clung to Ichigo. He ducked in time to avoid having his head sliced off and cast a cluster of ice crystals at the mask, which Ichigo began clawing at. Finally, he discharged a lightning bolt into the mask and he could see it beginning to loosen.

"Just beat him, Sora!" he heard Yusuke shout over the roaring of the demon spectators. "It'll be alright!"

Sora hoped that Yusuke was right as continued to parry Ichigo's strikes. Suddenly a few bright magenta beams struck the side of Ichigo's head (out of the corner of his eye Sora noticed Kid holding a silver gun.) He staggered for a moment and Sora struck him hard in the face, which caused the mask to finally fall off and Ichigo collapsed to the floor.

"You gonna be alright?" Sora asked.

"Yeah…just need a few minutes."

Ichigo went to sit on a nearby slab and Kid came to join Sora in the arena. Sora half-expected Ichigo to be dragged away by demons. He also expected Kid to be penalized for helping him, but Ha Des didn't seem to care, in fact when Ha Des did get up, it looked like he was excusing himself.

"Hey, Kid…"

"What is it, Sora?"

"I wanna see what Ha Des is up to. Think you can handle this match by yourself?"

"Hmm…most likely. Go ahead.

Sora took off after Ha Des, darting in between pillars, finally Ha Des came to a stop and Sora spotted the man who helped him the last time he was here, Auron. He had a faint black aura around him and his once dull brown eyes were now like black pits.

"It's almost time, Auron." Ha Des said coolly. "You remember what you have to do, don't you?"

"Yes…kill Urameshi." Auron groaned.

Auron turned around slowly and began walking almost mechanically toward the arena. Sora peeked back around the pillar he hid behind just enough to see Ha Des without being spotted. Ha Des was holding some kind of card in his left hand. Sora couldn't see what was on the card, but it was covered in the same lucid black aura that shrouded Auron. He waited for Ha Des to head back to his seat and hurried back to the arena. Kid was fighting a fiend with warped blue skin. It was attached to a cross, had what appeared to be extra faces all over its body, and was firing spells nonstop. Kid answered this by pelting it with beams from his guns.

"You are disgustingly hideous!" He raved. "Whoever dug you up should be shot…or something!"

Sora rushed to Yusuke's side and told him what he saw.

"Ya know…I think I've heard of that." he said. "The _Change of Heart _card. It's a magical card that can turn a good heart into a really dark heart. If you can get that card from Ha Des, you might be able to change this Auron back to normal."

Yusuke was then called into the arena Sora's hear skipped a beat when "Auron" was announced as his opponent. He watched in horror as Auron dashed onto the platform and began slashing at Yusuke with his mighty weapon. After a few moments, he turned his head painfully away from the assault and ran through the corridors until he found Ha Des' balcony. Ha Des was sitting with a long-haired fiend in a dark bluish purple suite and a withered blue fiend in aristocratic attire. Ha Des was sipping a goblet of green liquid and grinning at the carnage below. Sora spied the card lying on a pedestal with a lucid green dome over it. Confident that no one would hear him over the delighted roars of the audience, Sora pointed his Keyblade at the dome and shot a thin white beam into it.

The dome dissolved and Sora snatched the card and bolted back down the corridors as fast as his legs would permit him. There was an illustration on the card depicting what appeared to be an angel, only half of her was shrouded in shadow and had a bat-like wing. This was definitely the right card. He made it back to the arena and leapt onto the platform. Auron had just dealt a critical blow to Yusuke, he was about to bring his blade down on him when Sora ran in front of Auron and held the card up to his face, hoping for his sake and Yusuke's that it would work. Auron froze in his tracks, gazed at the card, and dropped his sword. The black aura that shrouded him slowly faded and the card dissolved into black and gold particles.

"It…it's all…so..." He said, his voice shaking somewhat. "Sora…It's clear now."

"Heh, no problem." Sora grinned as Yusuke got to his feet. "That's what friends do for each other, right?"

"Friends…yes…yes." Auron said slowly.

There was a burst of green flame and Ha Des stood in the center of the platform looking furious.

"The match isn't over until one of you is dead." he growled.

"Screw you…ya old bastard." Yusuke spat.

Ha Des snapped his fingers and a swarm of winged demons flitted into the arena carrying Keiko and Koenma in their talons. Ha des moved aside and a panel opened in the center revealing a seemingly _bottomless trap hole_ filled with shrieking purple apparitions. The winged demons released Keiko and Koenma, dropping them into the hole and Yusuke dove in after them. Sora took an involuntary step forward but Auron clamped a hand on his shoulder.

"It's up to Yusuke now." He said grimly as Kid and Ichigo rushed onto the platform. "All of you stay back! Ha Des is mine!"

Ha Des turned to two particular demons sitting close to the arena. One was his armored general and the other was a purple-skinned demon with flowing yellow hair and dark wings.

"Mefist! Baou! Get in here!"

The two demons obediently rushed onto the platform. The one called Baou conjured a large flamberge and started exchanging strikes and parries with Ichigo while Mefist tried to slice Kid down the middle, but he rolled out of the way and unleashed a barrage of beams from each of his guns. Sora sensed a dark presence behind him and whirled around to find himself face to face with the Summoned Skull. It reached down and tried to grab him, but he rolled under it and blasted a fireball into the back of its neck. A year ago, he barely held his own against it but he was a much better fighter now and knew not to let it lay its claws on him. He cast _Gravity _on it, paralyzing itand slammed the Fenrir's blade into its skull, cracking it. He then turned his attention to Auron, who had barely made a scratch on Ha Des. Ha Des conjured a large ball of demon energy, but Sora hurled his Keyblade and shattered it. Ichigo seemed to be more than holding his own against Baou, but Kid was having trouble piercing Mefist's armor, so Sora dashed toward him and brought the Fenrir's heavy blade crashing down on his back, cracking his armor. Mefist then began slashing wildly at Sora while Kid morphed his guns into a pair of high-tech-looking cannons. Black energy bolts began dancing around him and he pointed both cannons at Mefist. Sora rolled aside and Kid fired a thick golden orb from each cannon. One hit Mefist right in the center and the other sailed past him and hit Ha Des, who was strangling Auron. Auron then retaliated by thrusting his blade into Ha Des' chest.

"Master!"

When Ichigo finally overpowered Baou, he flung his flamberge toward Ha Des, who caught it in time to parry Auron's next strike. He then reached out for the fallen Mefist; a thick stream of crimson energy flew out of Mefist and into Ha Des' outstretched hand. All the injuries he got from Auron were instantly healed and he began hammering away at Auron with renewed vigor, only to be stabbed in the back by Ichigo and pelted with beams by Kid. Auron smashed the jug of saké he carried over his blade, chanted something, and the blade became engulfed in flames.

"Your pain…SHALL BE TENFOLD!"

He leapt toward the injured Ha Des and thrust his now flaming blade into his shoulder. Ha Des groaned in pain and a stunned silence fell upon the spectators as he fell to the ground.

"You are beaten…" Auron growled. "Never again will we be your playthings."

"Then…you can DIE!"

Ha Des pulled Auron's sword out of him and shattered its blade. He then raised his hands and cast a very powerful gravity spell; Sora, Auron, and the others were instantly brought to their knees by the pressure. Any second they could have been crushed, but just as Sora felt his spine beginning to snap, there was a loud bang and the spell was lifted. Sora rose slowly and saw Yusuke, Koenma, and Keiko standing over Ha Des, who now had a gaping hole in his center. Yusuke had changed, his skin now had arcane markings all over it and he had a mane of wild bone-white hair. He picked up the fallen ruler; Auron then picked up Baou's demonic flamberge and beheaded Ha Des with it. The head dropped him into the bottomless hole and Yusuke dropped the body in with it.

"Yusuke…wha…what happened to you?" Sora asked, though he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

"I see…" said Auron. "You're part demon, aren't you?"

Yusuke nodded.

_So he's just like Inuyasha. _Sora thought.

A cacophony of furious roars erupted from the stands and hundreds of demons were swarming the arena.

"Everyone, grab me now!" Koenma shouted.

Everyone reached down and touched Koenma. They were engulfed in azure light and in mere moments were back in Spirit World. It wasn't long before he had sent Kid and Ichigo back to their own worlds. Yusuke left, claiming he needed to find out more about himself.

"Hey, Sora." he told him. "When I've got my answers, I plan on coming back and asking Keiko to marry me. I'd like you to be there."

Sora scratched his head for a moment. Truthfully, social events had never really been his thing.

"I…uh…I'll think about it."

Yusuke clapped a hand on Sora's shoulder and left without another word, leaving only himself, Koenma, and Auron.

"What are you gonna do now, Auron?" he asked.

"I…I spent my life protecting others…" he said solemnly. "But now…there's no one left to protect. I suppose I should thank you."

"Not at all." said Sora with a smile.

"Fine." said Auron flatly.

"Well, yeah…you could thank me a little." said Sora, taken aback.

Auron chuckled dryly.

"You should always say what you mean."

He reached into his haori and pulled out a keychain of sorts. The token was shaped like a saké jug and was connected by a length of beads.

"I'd like you to have this." he said, his tone finally warming.

Sora pulled off the Fenrir keychain and attached the new one. The Keyblade now took on a new form; It had a broad, flat crimson blade with three sharp teeth near the tip. The base was shaped like a green ogre-like face with two fin-like extrusions forming the hand guard.

"Thanks, Aur…"

There was no sign of Auron, only dozens of small colorful orbs flying around.

"Goodbye…Auron." Sora whispered.

He gazed at his new Keyblade and silently dubbed it the _Guardian Soul_.

"Here you go, Sora." said Koenma, opening a shimmering portal. "This will take you back to Hollow Bastion."

"Thanks, Koenma…Oh! Am I a true hero now?"

"Answer your own question."

"Oh, okay then…yeah. Well, see ya."


	22. Feudal Japan

Sora stood in a familiar land. Feudal Japan hadn't changed much. The forest looked fairly unchanged and the same wind he felt a year earlier blew at his back. Smiling, he stepped to the edge of the forest, looking for any signs of his friends. Just as he opened his mouth to call for somebody, however, a streak of red shot for him. He dodged it just barely, thinking back to his encounter with the teddy bear-warrior from Dark Japan. Drawing his Keyblade, Fenrir, Sora glared at the glowering form of Inuyasha. He already knew there was something wrong with his friend. He held a long, needle-like sword and his arm was covered in slimy, tiny tendrils.

"What is that thing?" Sora gasped, looking at his feral friend.

InuYasha's teeth had grown long and his eyes were blood red, jagged purple stripes on his cheeks that looked remarkably like the ones Sesshomaru had when Sora came to that world a year earlier. Just then, Sora noticed the long, needle-like sword was indeed the same blade Sesshomaru used to call forth the forces of the underworld to fight for him. He fought to remember what the name of the sword was as he dodged a giant slash from Inuyasha. Sora gaped in awe as he saw a smooth slice left in the ground as Inuyasha turned back to Sora. This blade was more than just powerful. It was evil.

"Sora..." Inuyasha growled. "Run... NOW!"

Sora blocked his friend's attack and immediately began to strain as Inuyasha glared and drooled, his glowing red eyes a fearful sight. Dodging quickly, Sora made a jump for InuYasha, narrowly avoiding the swing of the giant sword. Seeing his chance, Sora struck Inuyasha several times in his abdomen with the blunt side of the Keyblade, though it seemed as though this did nothing to subdue his feral ally. Inuyasha's eyes flashed as he jumped back and readied the sword for some kind of attack. Sora could see twisting winds surround the blade and, although he wasn't certain, could swear he could hear a deep whisper coming from the evil weapon. As Inuyasha reared the sword back, he unleashed a giant tornado unlike anything Sora had ever seen. He tried to run, but it sucked him up instantly, Sora straining with all his might to cling to his Keyblade. As he began to feel the branches and rubble in the twister tear at him, Sora mustered all his might and swung his Keyblade about him, dispersing the tornado almost instantly. With that, Sora's eyes closed as he fell to the ground, covered in rain and mud (and slightly bloody). Opening his eyes once more, he saw Inuyasha flee, his eyes returning to normal, and, as his vision began to blur, he saw two figures walk toward him from the forest, one white and one black.

* * *

><p>"Sora! Sora, wake up!"<p>

Sitting up with a jolt, Sora looked at his surroundings. He was in a small hut, the smell of freshly brewed tea and cooking fish heavy in the air. Looking himself over, he saw he was dressed in a light, black kimono.

"Sora! You're alright."

Turning, Sora saw a familiar face.

"Kagome! It's been a while."

She looked relatively the same as before, only now she was dressed in a green fuku. Stretching, Sora saw three others in the hut with him; a young woman in a black ninja garb with pink pauldrons, a young man in a dark blue monk's robe and a tiny child dressed in a plain blue garb.

"We saw you in the middle of the forest, Sora." the young woman said, offering him a cup of tea. "My name is Sango. Kagome said you were an old friend of hers. What happened to you?"

At this, Sora bowed his head. Just what had happened to Inuyasha?

"I fought Inuyasha..." he said slowly, everyone looking grim at this statement. "What happened to him?" Sora asked.

Suddenly, a small spirit appeared before him. It looked like an old sage dressed in a white robe.

"My name is Saya, Sora," it said, everybody not seeming at all shocked by his sudden appearance "and Inuyasha has grown feral because he wields the demon sword, Sounga." he explained. "It is not like the other swords his father carried." he went on. "The Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga were forged from his own fangs, and were both used to conquer the Sounga's deadly spirit and confine it within that blade you must have seen."

Sora remembered the Tetsusaiga, the powerful blade Inuyasha used when Sora met him a year earlier. He also remembered Sesshomaru wielding the Sounga in their fight, but something tugged at his mind.

"What's the Tenseiga?" Sora asked. "I haven't heard of it."

"The Tenseiga," Kagome began "Sesshomaru's real sword, the one InuYasha's father left him, is one that can recall the souls of the dead and bring them back to their body."

Sora hung his head. That didn't seem at all like a weapon someone like Sesshomaru would use.

"Inuyasha was somehow given the Sounga, and it drove him mad." the monk said, his eyes narrowing. "He ran off soon after and we haven't been able to find him."

"Me an' Miroku lost sight of him a little before we found you, Sora." the tiny boy said, Sora noticing he had a fluffy fox tail. Sora stood up and looked at the sunset outside the hut.

"How can we find him?" he asked. At this, everyone bowed their heads.

"Saya has been trying to find him. He's the spirit of the Sounga's sheath." the fox-boy said.

"It could be anywhere by now, Shippo." Miroku said glumly. "Saya has been finding it hard to follow him."

"We've actually been traveling for two whole days." Sango added.

Sora narrowed his eyes, his kimono floating in the breeze. He was certain the Sounga was sealed in Demon World with Sesshomaru.

* * *

><p>Sesshomaru and Saix both strolled through a ravaged field. Their quarry was close.<p>

"How did my pathetic brother come to find the Sounga?" Sesshomaru asked slowly. Saix, his questionable companion, only stood watching the sunset. "It doesn't make sense how such a weak fool could find it. And just how did you release me from Demon World, might I ask?"

"You certainly aren't the grateful type." Saix said in his emotionless voice. Sesshomaru only narrowed his eyes. "I will do all I can to help you retrieve your father's blade, Sesshomaru. I have my own plans, as do you, am I correct?"

Sesshomaru only huffed and walked on through the wreckage. He didn't like being indebted to another, but as Saix was the one who released him from Demon World when its ruler allegedly perished, he felt he owed this man some gratitude.

"Jaken, come!" Sesshomaru hissed, his imp companion hurrying beside him.

Jaken was also suspicious of the man who had released him and Sesshomaru from the void of the dead, but felt it best not to bother his master with his suspicions. Something far more was obviously going on, and it would not be wise to annoy Sesshomaru at a time like this.

Saix walked silently with the two, ready to strike should Sesshomaru turn on him. He could tell neither he, nor his imp servant trusted him. Nevertheless, Saix knew two very valuable things were on this world; Sesshomaru and his brother InuYasha. Everything was proceeding according to plan.

* * *

><p>Sora (dressed in his Keyblade wielder's garb), Sango (with her tiny nekomata companion, Kirara) and Miroku tread through the forest for InuYasha, Saya leading the way (Shippo and Kagome going to meet with the blacksmith who forged InuYasha and Sesshomaru's swords). He said he could feel the Sounga's power surging that morning and that they had to hurry if they had any chance of finding Inuyasha. After much traveling, however, Saya suddenly gave a start.<p>

"What is it?" Miroku asked, readying his staff. Sora and Sango both stood at ready as well.

"It is gone... I cannot feel the Sounga anymore." Saya said cryptically. Everyone stared, not sure of what to make of this. "Only the rawest darkness could fully conceal such a mighty weapon." Saya explained, Sora narrowing his eyes.

"Sesshomaru used to command the Heartless." Sora said. "Maybe he has it." he said, rushing off into the forest, Sango and Miroku calling for him as he ran.

He could see a shape in the distance. Was it Inuyasha? Drawing his Keyblade just as he came to a bamboo thicket, he climbed through the shoots and into a clearing where he saw not InuYasha, but a cloaked stranger. An organization member!

"You!" Sora called, lunging for the figure, swinging with the Fenrir at him.

The figure dodged quickly and conjured a black and red bat wing-shaped sword. Sora's eyes widened as he saw Riku's weapon and he stared into the black hood. Was Riku siding with the Organization, or was that even Riku? Sora jumped for his opponent and the two matched blades. Sora needed to be certain this was not trick. Summoning all his strength, Sora forced the man down on one knee and lumped back, quickly launching a _Fira_ spell at him, knocking him back. Knowing this was a reckless move, Sora stepped over to the disabled man. Holding his Keyblade to his side, Sora allowed himself to take the full force of the figure's counterattack as he sprung forward and landed a powerful kick into Sora's chest. He was then certain it was Riku.

Dazed, Sora watched as the figure gave him a nod then shoot through the bamboo thicket. He had to be quick. He climbed to his feet and hurried through the thicket after him. No sooner did he reach the end did he find not the cloaked figure, but Inuyasha, lying motionless on the ground.

Sora walked over to his downed friend, but as soon as he came close enough to see he was still breathing, a mass of hulking claymore-wielding Nobodies shot up around him. This was clearly a trap. They swung their giant claymores for him as he dodged one after the other, just barely managing to find an opening and slice a few down, but they were clearly going to overwhelm him at this rate. It would have been a completely different story if they hadn't caught him by surprise or if he hadn't been worn out from his fight with the mysterious figure. He knew he shouldn't have run off from Sango and Miroku. Just as it looked like he was about to lose, Sesshomaru stepped in and cut them all down easily.

"You are a weak fool, Sora." Sesshomaru said in his pitiless voice.

Sesshomaru had clearly grown more powerful if he were able to defeat those huge Nobodies so easily. Sora swallowed hard as he gripped his Keyblade, feeling weak from the last few encounters. A simple cure spell wouldn't fix him up nearly enough to face Sesshomaru alone. He was about to die.

"I've been meaning to settle the score with both you and my brother for trapping me in Demon World, and costing me my arm."

Sora had almost forgot the Sounga severed it a year prior. Yet, Sesshomaru wasn't missing an arm now. Before Sora could ask how he got a new arm, Sesshomaru drew a giant khanda and stood at ready. Sora could feel an evil aura surrounding this sword.

"This is the Tokijin, Sora." Sesshomaru said. "This is indeed an evil, living sword that wants nothing more than to claim lives."

Sora barely had time to react as Sesshomaru shot for him and swung, blocking just as the blade came for him. Instantly, he began to feel the ground quake as he struggled with Sesshomaru's attack. Would Sango or Miroku find him in time to save him? Sesshomaru seemed so much more powerful now. Just as he felt like he was about to keel over, Sesshomaru stopped his attack and withdrew from Sora. The youth looked at his enemy in bewilderment.

"What happened to that weakling?" Sesshomaru said, looking over at Inuyasha. Sora didn't say anything. "I was told he acquired the weapon I had in my possession the last time we met. Where is it now?" Sora narrowed his eyes at Sesshomaru, panting slightly.

"I dunno." he breathed, still holding his Keyblade at ready. "I found him like this."

Sesshomaru glowered at Sora as he said this.

"You do know that if a human is to touch the Sounga," Sesshomaru began "it will warp them into a being far worse than any demon, feeding off the lust and greed in their heart." he hissed. "I must find it before a pathetic human takes it, as I'd rather not face whatever foolishness they spawn with such power." With that, Sesshomaru held his sword toward Sora. "You are going to accompany me, Sora, if you want to live." Sora glared at the demon as he said this.

"Why would I help you? Why not find it yourself?" he spat. Sesshomaru's face twitched as Sora said this.

"Because, another I've met with spoke of you, as well as the missing Sounga." he said. "I do not trust him... and he is much stronger than he appears." Sesshomaru said coldly.

Sora could see derision in his eyes as he said this. Sesshomaru clearly did not like the thought of another being as strong as him.

"How can I trust you though?" Sora said, not blinking as Sesshomaru turned.

In a flash, Sesshomaru shot for Sora, his blade swinging in a great arc for him. Stumbling back, his back aching, Sora readied his Keyblade to parry, but the Tokijin stopped just inches from his face, a deafening clash echoing as it did, sparks dancing before Sora's eyes. Turning, he saw the Tetsusaiga stretched in front of him.

"Since when do you ask others for help, Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha taunted, looking as fatigued as Sora did, but clearly ready for a fight.

The elder demon narrowed his eyes at first, but then smirked.

"Why do something yourself when you can fool another?" he sneered coldly.

Sora grew furious. He was tired of being used by others. Rolling aside, Sora shot for Sesshomaru, swinging furiously with the Fenrir as the demon drew back. Rather than continue his assault, Sora also drew back and stood beside Inuyasha. They both may have been aching and tired, but Sesshomaru still would have trouble fighting both of them at once. Instantly, they both charged for Sesshomaru, who quickly dropped down and swung his clawed hand for Sora. Though it was hard to see, his claws shown brightly as if they were covered in something.

"Sora! Beware of that freak's claws! They're poisonous!" Inuyasha called as he swung a giant Windscar from the Tetsusaiga.

Dodging the shining bolt by inches, Sesshomaru turned and knocked away Sora's Strike Raid and dove under the wide sweep of Inuyasha's follow-up attack, Sora jabbing his Keyblade into the ground as their wily foe rolled just shy of his furious attack, but Sora and Inuyasha were far from finished. Swinging their weapons in complete union, Sesshomaru blocked the Tetsusaiga with his Tokijin and seized the Fenrir by its jagged blade, the three of them struggling against one another in the bamboo thicket.

Sesshomaru gritted his teeth as he fought with all his might to hold his opponents back, his eyes beginning to glow red and the stripes on his cheeks growing jagged. His demonic rage taking over, he began to slowly force the two back, leaping up for a spinning kick a his brother as he continued to clutch Sora's weapon. Finally, he whipped his own sword around, generating a mammoth bolt not unlike the Windscar. Sora had no chance of surviving an attack like this in the state he was in. Just as it was about to strike him, Inuyasha lunged in front of Sora and took the full force of the blast. Sora stared with wide eyes as Inuyasha flew through the bamboo thicket, landing several feet away. Just as Sesshomaru was clearly readying another assault, Sora saw something move. Sesshomaru turned quickly to see the blue-haired Organization member step into the thicket carrying a small figure with him. It was Jaken, and he was dead.

"What happened, Saix?" Sesshomaru asked coldly.

Saix merely threw the dead imp to the ground before his master. Sesshomaru quickly assumed an offensive position.

"He made the mistake of trying to attack me." Saix said icily. "I suppose he was acting on your behalf?" he asked, opening a black portal.

To Sesshomaru's amazement, the Sounga stretched from it, Saix seizing its hilt and looking the blade over.

"You! You're the ass who attacked me!"

Sora turned to see Inuyasha glaring at Saix. Sango and Miroku also finally found them, Kirara now enormous and ferocious looking. They also looked ready for action.

"I was hoping you'd still be alive." Saix taunted in his cold voice, a slight grin on his face. "This blade is the perfect instrument to turn both of you mighty warriors into Heartless. Sora, if you would be so kind as to wait a little bit longer before you destroy them-"

"Drop dead, you arrogant ass!" Sora spat, his eyes flashing.

Instantly, he burst with darkness, shooting for Saix in his dark form as he'd done to the one-eyed man in the cavern at Radient Garden. Saix lazily stepped about as Sora fought mindlessly. Crouching slightly, Saix swung hard at his shadowy attacker, knocking Sora away, smiling as he grew limp and reverted to his original state.

"You are still a fool, Sora. It is your ignorance we depend on." Saix admired the Sounga once more as Sesshomaru stepped forward, glaring.

"How are you able to hold that weapon?" he asked suspiciously. "Any human who touches it will be warped into an abomination fueled by the foolish greed and pride in their hearts."

Saix only shook his head in false amusement.

"We Nobodies haven't any hearts. This blade poses more threat to you than it ever could me, Sesshomaru."

With that, he stepped into the swirling black portal and disappeared, leaving everyone in shocked silence. Straining to climb to his knees, Sora saw Sesshomaru sheathe his Tokijin in silence and pulled the katana from his side and slashed it through the air above the lifeless Jaken. To Sora's amazement, the wounds healed and Jaken climbed up to face everyone.

"Jaken." Sesshomaru said sharply. "What is that wretch planning? What did he say before you let yourself be slain?"

Jaken (looking rather flustered), inhaled deeply before he looked up to his master.

"The fickle Saix wishes to make you and Inuyasha into Heartless, my lord Sesshomaru." he said, Miroku and Sango both gaping in awe at this. "He said something about unleashing the Sounga's full power, but after that, he struck me down, master."

"We cannot allow him to do such a thing!" Saya hollered, everyone turning to the sheathe Miroku carried. "The great dog demon, InuTaisho, sealed Sounga away in the sword long after he had the Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga forge for him. It was necessary for the fate of the world was at stake. If that madman unleashes Sounga, it will be the end of this world." Inuyasha and Sesshomaru both stared the other down.

"We need to stand together." Sora said, wincing as he stood up, swaying slightly. "It's the only way we can stop Saix."

Sesshomaru only huffed and started off, Jaken hurrying behind him in silence.

"A bold claim, considering you cannot control the darkness within you." he called back.

Sora knew he was right. That was twice he had been taken over by his darkness. How was it so powerful? What's more, How could he possibly hope to fight Saix?

"Sora." Inuyasha said slowly. "I know what it's like not being able to control your darkness." Sora looked into his ally's eyes and saw a look of concern. "If I can fight the darkness in my heart, so can you. I trust you."

Sora smiled, reassured by this declaration.

"Alright! Let's go then!" Sora called. "We gotta save the world, right?" Just as he stepped off, however, he fell to his knees once more. He clearly had some healing up to do.

* * *

><p>Sora and company stood at the edge of a besieged castle, many undead warriors stumbling about it. This was truly Sounga's work.<p>

"So... this is it, huh?" Sango asked. Saya nodded.

"This is but a taste of the horrors Sounga could sow." he said grimly.

Inuyasha pulled the Tetsusaiga from its sheath and hurried into the mass of zombified enemies.

"Headstrong as always." Miroku groaned.

Sora, however, wasn't about to stop there. He readied the Fenrir and began to walk for the castle, but a mass of Heartless shot for him. Immediately, a wave of them shot for him, only to be cut down by Sango's giant boomerang. Turning, Sora saw her, Kirara and Miroku fending off the Heartless.

"Go help Inuyasha!" Miroku called. "We'll handle these guys here!" Sango added. Sora, however, shook his head and hurried to join the three.

"I'm not leaving you guys just yet." Sora called, cleaving several Heartless down. Inuyasha can handle himself."

* * *

><p>"A sword with the power of all the dead." Saix said. "It was no trick at all to find both you and the blade."<p>

Sesshomaru stood at the apex of the castle, staring Saix down. Neither of them moved, their long hair and draping clothes waving in the wind. Inuyasha climbed up behind Saix, though he knew Saix was already alerted of his presence.

"Kingdom Hearts will benefit greatly from your hearts." said Saix, holding the Sounga high.

Bathed in darkness, the sword began to twist and grow, Sesshomaru and InuYasha both leaping for the cloaked fiend. In a flash however, Saix was gone, sliding down the castle wall as the warping Sounga turned into a humanoid mass of blades, a giant curved sword protruding from its left side and a gleaming spherical jewel in its center.

"I've been waiting for this moment." the demon sword growled in a deep voice.

Sesshomaru and Inuyasha both swung for it, but it was Sounga was too fast. Lunging for the eldest demon, Sounga fought with expert precision, Sesshomaru narrowly countering. Inuyasha rushed forward and thrust the Tetsusaiga for the demon sword, but it avoided the blow quickly and swung in an arc for the half-demon, landing a light cut into his chest. Furious, Inuyasha unleashed his Adamant Barrage, sending a mass of razor-sharp shards flying for Sounga. Striking them each down, Sounga turned just in time to block yet another blow from Sesshomaru. The Tokijin danced with sparks as Sesshomaru wrestled with all his might to strike down Sounga. Just then, Sesshomaru realized what he should have from the start. Jumping back, he sheathed the Tokijin.

"Are you offering me your neck, fool?" jeered Sounga. "I will send you to meet your wretched father, if you'd like."

Sesshomaru only smirked as he drew the Tenseiga and stood at ready.

"A blade that is the bane of the dead... I think my father wanted me to destroy you."

Lunging once more, Sesshomaru began to force Sounga back. The Tensaiga was clearly more effective than the Tokijin. Knocking the spiked apparition back, Sesshomaru made a great sweep for the demon sword, only for it to counterattack, sending the dog demon down the castle. Seeing its chance, Sounga shot down for Sesshomaru, ready to lop his head off, but Inuyasha jumped between the two and blocked the demon sword's strike.

"I think he wanted _us_ to destroy you!" he said through gritted teeth, forcing Sounga back again.

Looking down, Inuyasha reached for his brother's arm. The elder demon didn't take his hand, but did stand up and nod to his brother.

"Together." Sesshomaru said, both of them rushing for their foe.

* * *

><p>Sora, Sango and Miroku had finally finished off the Heartless but were now fighting furiously with the undead soldiers. Fortunately, just as it seemed they were about to be overwhelmed, Jaken arrived on the scene, sending bursts of fire from his staff for the ghoulish soldiers.<p>

"May you be burned to ashes by the Staff of Two Heads!" he screeched, firing blazing bursts for the enemy swarms, burning the undead warriors to ashes in second.

"Sora! Enough!" Miroku called, striking another ghastly warrior down with his staff. "Help Inuyasha!" he called.

Sora turned to see flashing sparks in the distance near the top of the ruined castle.

"We've got this here, Sora." Sango added, cleaving more zombies down. "Stop the Sounga! These guys will never stop otherwise."

Sora knew they were right. Hurrying, Sora saw the cloaked stranger from before, still wielding Riku's bat wing-sword. Readying his Keyblade, Sora sliced down a few more undead soldiers behind the figure. The two stared the other down for a brief moment before the figure pointed to Saix, who was watching Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's battle. Sora nodded and started for him, but the cloaked figure seized Sora and threw the shocked youth for Saix, who turned just in time to see Sora flying for him and dodged him narrowly, Sora landing nimbly opposite to him, watching the stranger run off into the distance.

"You just don't know when to back off, do you, Sora?" Saix hissed. Sora couldn't tell for certain, but he thought he saw the X-shaped mark on his forehead growing more jagged as he spoke. "It's not your place to meddle in our affairs. The Organization needs you to play your part."

"Why's that?" Sora growled.

"If you continue like this, Sora, you'll do more than just fail to collect hearts for us." Saix went on, glaring into Sora's eyes. "If you succumb to the darkness like you did before, we will have no one to collect hearts. We need you. You're invaluable to the Organization." he said.

At this, Sora dropped the Fenrir to his side.

"Why me?" he asked cautiously, the sound of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's duel in the distance echoing loudly. "What's so important about me?"

Saix only smiled as he opened another dark portal. "Because Sora... you are one of us."

Saix stepped inside the portal, leaving Sora confused and unnerved. Just then, the hooded stranger appeared before Sora once more.

"You have a choice, Sora." he said in a hoarse whisper. It certainly didn't sound like Riku. "Face your darkness."

With that, the figure pointed for InuYasha and Sesshomaru, fighting with the twisted mass of blades that was Sounga. Sora turned back to the figure only to see him leave through another black portal. He wanted to follow the stranger, but there wasn't any time. He hurried for the castle and began to scale up to the three fighters. Coming up closer, he saw InuYasha and Sesshomaru both fending off Sounga.

"It's time I finish you both off." it growled, pulsing with power. "Die now! _**Dragon twister!**_"

Sora stared in disbelief as a gigantic twister, much larger than the one he saw Inuyasha generate form around the bladed monster. There was no way anyone could survive this one! Thinking desperately, Sora flung the Fenrir for Sounga, the Keyblade quickly being swept away in the churning tornado.

"You are a fool, Keyblade wielder!" Sounga sneered, the Keyblade twisting in the whirlwind. "I say you die with these two fools!"

Sora quickly summoned his Keyblade back as Sounga continued to power up his final strike. Suddenly, Sora knew what they had to do. Sora jumped high and held his Keyblade up.

"Inuyasha! Sesshomaru! Attack here!" The two demons were unsure at first (or at least Inuyasha was), but as they saw an orb of golden light forming at the tip of Sora's Keyblade, they realized his plan and both drew their father's swords back to attack.

"**WINDSCAR!**"** "**_**DRAGON STRIKE**_**!" "**_**RAGNAROK!**_**"**

All three attacks hit Sounga. Screaming and twisting, it continued to gather energy for its Dragon Twister.

"I won't die just yet!" Sounga roared, the dead soldiers flying from the field into a portal that grew beneath the demon sword. "You will perish with me!"

As everyone hung on to the ransacked castle as the twister began to drag them into Demon World with Sounga. Sesshomaru lunged for the beastly entity and seized the jeweled center, jabbing it with his poisoned claw. The Sounga roared as it crumbled away, the portal closing on Sesshomaru's arm, sucking him in as everyone watched him slice his new arm off with the Tokijin. Then, everything was still. Everyone looked as the ruined castle faded into a grassy field. Just as Sesshomaru looked at his arm, a blue glow shone around everyone. Looking up, Sesshomaru and InuYasha gaped in awe. An older looking demon that closely resembled them both smiled down at them.

"Father?" they both said in union.

InuTaisho nodded and smiled as he faded away, everyone at a loss for words.

* * *

><p>"So Sesshomaru just left?" Kagome asked.<p>

She served a great big picnic lunch to everyone as they sat eating outside of Totosai's forge, the demon smith looking over the Tetsusaiga and Fenrir, Saya now opting to stay with him.

"Yeah. He saved us all." Sora said as he helped himself to a bento Kagome served him.

"It really didn't seem like him." Sango added.

Inuyasha only huffed.

"That jerk is still out there, though." he said. "I don't think he's gonna try an' help us out in the future."

"The ties of brotherhood are not easily severed, Inuyasha." Totosai said in is wizened tone. "You are both born of the noble InuTaisho, and his blood runs in both your veins and his spirit binds you both."

"Like I give a damn." Inuyasha huffed, eating another bento Kagome made.

Inuyasha was clearly back to normal. Sora, however, felt better than ever. He was ready to face the organization and was certain he could face his darkness again. As long as he had friends like Inuyasha and the others who trusted him and believed in him, he felt like he could accomplish anything. Finishing his bento, Sora smiled as he looked up into the bright blue sky.


	23. Tomoeda

Sora looked around the small town he was in. The console said this world was named Tomoeda. He wasn't sure what he'd find in this town. Just as he walked out of an alley, however, Sora got an icy chill.

"It's about time I met with you."

Sora whirled around but nobody was there. Narrowing his eyes and drawing his Keyblade, he looked up to the ledge beside him and saw a cloaked figure crouching down and watching him.

"You have that same look in your eye as him, m'boy." the figure rasped. "I'm eager to see exactly how you play the game."

Sora jumped up to the ledge but the figure was too fast. He was gone in the sea of rooftops before Sora even got on top of the ledge.

"Who was he talking about?" Sora thought aloud to himself.

Sora walked through the quiet city. He saw very few people, but the town did seem very peaceful. Just then, Sora buckled backwards as a Soldier Heartless swung its claws for him. Summoning his Keyblade, Sora jumped to his feet to fight his enemy, only for a young boy to cut it down with a broad sword.

"You might want to watch your step." the boy said. He couldn't be older than ten years old. He was dressed in a light, summer school uniform and had slick, brown hair that hung just over his light brown eyes.

"Who... who are you?" Sora stammered, his Keyblade disappearing. The boy only sheathed his sword.

"Not that it's any of your business, but my name is Syaoran Li." he said darkly. Sora wasn't sure he liked this kid. "Now go away, we're busy."

"We, who?" Sora asked suspiciously, following him. "You took out the Heartless like it was nothing-"

"It _was_ nothing." the boy said sharply. Sora opened his mouth to speak, but changed his mind. There wasn't much point in arguing. This boy really _was_ skilled.

"Wha- Sora!"

Sora and Syaoran both turned their heads to see a young girl in a school uniform waving for them both, her shiny brown hair flitting in the wind.

"Sakura!" Sora gasped. Smiling, the two ran to meet with each other. Despite having only briefly chatted a year prior, they were happy to see the other again.

"Who is he, Sakura?" Syaoran ask suspiciously. Sakura smiled as she turned to the boy. "This is Sora." she explained. "He saved me from the Heartless a year ago."

"You mean he's the-"

"Sakura, you told people about the other worlds?" Sora gasped. "People aren't supposed to know there's other worlds out there."

"I only told Syaoran. He knows about-"

"Someone like you is a Keyblade wielder?" Syaoran said sharply. Sora felt a prickling heat inside him grow at this boy's arrogance.

"Why do you ask?" Sora said in a mocking voice. "You jealous?"

"You don't seem like you're at all cut out for battle." Syaoran sneered. "Did you really save Sakura and the Princesses of Heart, or did she have to save you?"

Sora opened his mouth to argue back, but then it suddenly hit him.

"How do you know about the Princesses of Heart?" he asked, genuinely confused. Syaoran only huffed.

"A descendent of the highest order of magic can't be oblivious to the other worlds." he said. "Do you even know who Clow Reed is?" he said sharply. Sora couldn't answer. "And you are a Keyblade wielder. Pathetic."

"Syaoran, that's mean!" Sakura called, half angry, half sympathetic for Sora. "I'm so sorry, Sora-"

"Who is this Clow Reed?" Sora said stiffly. "He sounds really important."

"He is one of the finest magicians to have ever lived, Sora, and his magical findings have spread to the farthest corners of the universe."

Neither Sakura nor Syaoran said these words. The trio looked around to see who was speaking to them. Just then, a shadow was cast over them. Looking up to a rooftop, the three saw the same Organization member Sora met with earlier.

"What do you want this time, Luxord?" Syaoran called, drawing his blade. Sakura, however, summoned a long wand of some kind, with a golden star inside of a pink ring at the end.

"Stop trying to hurt me and my friends, Luxord!" Sakura added, narrowing her eyes. "Leave us alone!"

"Oh, but it would seem you have a guest this time, Sakura." the Organization member said in a slick voice as he lowered his hood. The man had a slightly aged face and short blond hair with a small, well-kept goatee, with several piercings on his ears.

"Tell me Sora, how well do you gamble?" he sneered, his piercing blue eyes looking right into Sora's.

"I don't gamble." Sora said and Luxord merely tutted. "You don't gamble, you say?" he said mockingly. "Anyone who dares carry a Keyblade with them into battle gambles, m'boy, and with much more than just their life."

Smirking, Luxord jumped high into the air, flipping as he landed with ease just feet away from Sora and his friends. "I've been waiting here for you, Sora." Luxord said. "You made short work of that pesky Sounga and got our beloved Saix in a real fluster... I must admit, I like you." he said, Sora unsure of where he was going with this. "I want to see what you're really made of, now." he said, drawing a deck of cards with the Organization symbol on them. "After your little fiasco in the last wold, I see no reason to hold my chips with you." he said, the cards whipping up into a whirlwind.

Sora, Sakura and Syaoran stepped back as the cards cut painfully as they spun about.

"The great Clow Reed was a mighty magician, Sora." he said, he cards now spinning around Sakura who looked quite frightened. "Let's see if you can manage his magic." Immediately, a few cards flew from Sakura's backpack, shooting off through the sky.

"My Clow Cards!" Sakura stammered, Luxord chuckling darkly.

"Come and indulge me when you've collected them all, Sora." Luxord said as his deck flew neatly back into his hand. "Don't fold on me, now." With that, Luxord disappeared into his black void, leaving the trio alone.

"What four did he steal, Sakura?" Syaoran said sharply, his eyes narrowing. Sakura looked through a deck of odd cards. Sora thought they looked like tarot cards.

"How do you know he took four?" Sora asked confused. "You must have some good eyes-"

"You need good eyes if you are to be a good warrior." Syaoran said coldly. "Surely a Keyblade wielder would know this."

Sora felt his face turn hot as Sakura finished looking through her deck.

"He took Thunder, Shadow, Shot and Sword." she said, breathing heavily. "They are all very powerful cards..."

"We need to go get them back." Sora said quickly. "The way he made it sound, that guy... it just can't be good!"

Syaoran huffed as he drew his sword. "Obviously he wants you to do it." he said. "Spotting a trap and avoiding one are two different things." Sora opened his mouth to argue back, but Sakura stepped in.

"Stop being so mean to Sora, Syaoran!" she called. "He helped save me and all the other Princesses of Heart. I believe in him."

Syaoran gave a sigh. "Fine... let's see if you are the Chosen One the legends speak of." he said, walking up to Sora. "Help us get these cards back."

Sora only smiled.

* * *

><p>The three walked cautiously through the alleyways of the quiet town, keeping a sharp eye out for any sign of the scattered Clow Cards.<p>

"Shouldn't we split up, so we can cover more ground?" Sora asked as they spied from behind a dumpster.

"We can't split up!" Syaoran hissed. "Only I can seal the cards." Sakura added. "We need to stay together." Sora frowned, but he knew Sakura was right. She was their only chance. Inching out, they saw a girl about Sakura and Syaoran's age, looking barely conscious, wielding a long, thin sword.

"Rika!" Sakura said in shock, blocking her attacking friend with her wand. Sora rushed in, Readying his Keyblade, but Syaoran threw his arm out.

"We need to get the sword away from her!" he called. Sora watched as Sakura fought hard to hold her friend back. He thought she looked amazingly like Kairi did when she lost her heart a year prior.

"Try this!" Sora called as he rushed in front of he swinging blade.

Sakura and Syaoran both reached out form him and called for him to come back, but it was too late. The sword was coming down toward his face. This was perfect. In a flash, Sora cast _Reflega_, knocking Rika back far, the lifeless girl fighting to keep her balance. Rushing, Sora jumped up and swung his leg hard, kicking the sword from her hand, the girl falling to the ground unconscious. The sword began to clatter on the sidewalk as Sora rushed for it, jabbing his Keyblade down onto it.

"Sakura! Seal it!" he called. Nodding, Sakura brought her wand down onto it, the sword glowing for a moment before turning back into a card.

"Great work Sora." she smiled. "That was some pretty quick thinking."

Sora rubbed his hand through his hair as Sakura picked up the card, not noticing Sora's face turning a slight shade of pink. Syaoran said nothing. Sora couldn't tell if he was unimpressed or not.

"Well, one card down." Sora said abruptly. "Three more to go!" Sakura smiled as Syaoran nodded.

"Let's go get 'em." the boy said, drawing his sword, Sakura now turned to her friend and trying to wake her up.

"Let's go ahead. Sakura can catch up." Sora said, Syaoran giving him a stern look. "If we need her, I'll signal her." he added smugly, casting _Fira_ into the air. Syaoran only shook his head.

"Fine. I'll be able to hold off whatever we find, anyway." Sora could feel his face burning again. Waving to Sakura, Sora and Syaoran both hurried off into the town.

"Careful, Sora, they could be anywhere." Syaoran said as he and Sora walked briskly through the town, the Keyblade wielder looking at the boy. That was the first time he said Sora's name.

"So... why are you so edgy?" Sora asked as they came to a stop in a crosswalk and looked around for any sign of the escaped card. Syaoran looked pensive for a moment.

"I'm a descendent of the great Clow Reed... but Sakura was chosen to be the Cardcaptor... the one who can claim the cards of Clow Reed." He gripped his sword as he spoke. "Sakura proved herself worthy... but I still feel like I was crossed over..."

Sora looked away as Syaoran spoke, looking quite pensive himself. He's sure this is likely what Riku was feeling a year ago.

"I do respect her, though." Syaoran added. "She's stronger than she looks... I guess that's why she's a Princess of Heart." he said. Just then, they saw something small flying for them. It was a tiny, fuzzy yellow creature with small wings. Sora thought it looked like a tiny plushie.

"Cerberus?" Syaoran said, eying the creature. "What do you want?"

"Well, hello to you too, kid." the tiny creature said in a smug tone. "I saw something a while ago, like when the Clow Cards first scattered. Did something happen?"

"Luxord came back." Syaoran explained. "He corrupted four cards and released their spirits. Sakura and I can't even sense them like we could before."

Cerberus folded his arms and thought to himself hard. Sora was still dumbstruck by his appearance.

"The Clow Cards will be much harder to find now..." he said, looking up into the sky. "Do you know which ones were scattered?"

"We already got back the Sword card." Sora said. "Next are the Thunder, Shadow, and the Shot." he explained. Cerberus looked up at Sora.

"You're the Keybearer Sakura spoke of, aren't you?" he said. Sora nodded. "Good, we'll need all the help we can get with Luxord causing trouble again."

"I'm back!" Sakura called as she suddenly appeared running up the alley. "Kero, you're here." she said with a smile. No sooner did Sakura walk up to them, however, did she dive away, a gleaming bolt shooting at blinding speed between them, sending them scrambling.

"Up there!" Syaoran called, pointing to the sky. About as high as a house, a glowing orb hurled for them. "It's the Shot card! Look out, Sora!" he called as another bolt fired for him. Narrowing his eyes, Sora cast _Reflega_, the beam shooting straight back at the glowing orb which zoomed out of the way quickly.

"Sora hold on! Those shots of it are lethal!" Sakura called as he reflected another bolt.

It seemed to only attack him, for some reason, most likely something Luxord did to the card. As he sent another beam back for it, he rolled out of the way as another bolt came for him. Swinging as quickly as he could, he sent the orb sailing for Sakura, who gave a quick gasp before quickly swinging her wand at the orb, sealing it instantly.

"That was scary." Sakura said, giving a deep exhale, taking the card back. "Now only two to go."

"The Thunder and Shadow cards." Kero nodded. "Well, those two will likely find us first, just like the Shot card did." he added, Sora gripping his Keyblade tightly.

"That's a comforting thought." he groaned sarcastically. "We should get going, then." he said, the four of them continuing through the quiet town, Kero resting on Sakura's shoulder.

* * *

><p>The sun was beginning to dip down into the horizon, the band of fighters feeling tired from looking all day.<p>

"Well, this has been a bust." Kero mused, folding his tiny arms. "They must be really scared of being caught again."

"That can't be it, I proved myself." Sakura said. "I proved myself worthy of their power... Luxord must be controlling them."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that schmuck." Kero sighed.

Sora, however, was still poised. He knew Sakura was probably right. Luxord was still at large. Who knew what powers he could possibly possess over the Clow Cards.

"Wait... they're waiting for this." Syaoran said suddenly, everyone looking at him. "This is what they want." he said, stepping to a guardrail, watching the setting sun. "Luxord is waiting for the night." he said. Sure enough, as soon as the sun set, they turned to see a colossal, glowing wolf rampage for them, giant bolts of electricity tearing up jagged cracks in the ground as it roared for them.

"Thunder." Syaoran growled, drawing his sword.

Swinging, Syaoran caught the beast in the face, sending it flying back into a wall, Sora and Sakura diving away, Kero flying high and out of the way.

"C'mon." Syaoran growled, the wolf climbing back up and charging for him.

Narrowing his eyes, the boy jumped high and brought his blade down on its back, once again causing it to go sailing. Obviously, Sora thought, he fought with no ordinary sword.

"I got him now!" Sakura called, racing for the beast. Just as she came to it, however, she pulled another card from her belt, casting a shield over herself as it barreled for her. Sora ad Syaoran could both see a yellow mist in its eyes. Sakura was right. It was being controlled.

"Let's go!" Sora called, both Syaoran racing for the giant wolf from both sides as it continued to gnash its chops for Sakura.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Kero called as he watched them work.

Gargantuan bolts of electricity tore about the beast, Syaoran and Sora both diving expertly this way and that to avoid being fried. Finally, they both came to a stop, perfectly opposite each other and thrust their weapons into the giant wolf. Instantly, it roared out, ceasing its assault, Sakura dropping her shield and swinging her wand for the creature, sealing it away. Just as Sora and Syaoran gave a sigh of relief, Kero cried out in shock, two long streams off black fabric flooding around the two boys. Sakura turned to see t cloaked figure of the Shadow Card descending down to them menacingly slowly. Immediately, Sakura cast Wind, streams of gold twisting and wrapping around the Shadow Card as it released Sora and Syaoran.

"Hurry, before it breaks free!" Kero plead, the Shadow Card struggling as the Wind card constricted it. Sakura tried to pull it in, but it broke free from its bindings and sailed through the air, quick as a shot, far too quick for Sakura to try again. This was clearly not the same Shadow card she faced before.

"Let's try this again!" Syaoran called, jumping for the specter, only for it to whip him away with it's cloak, Sora doing the same only to suffer the same result.

Growling, Sora cast _Fira_ once more, but the soaring figure was too fast. Still, he had a plan. He continued to cast more and more bursts of flame for the Shadow card as it slowly drifted further and further away from Sora, higher into the sky, casting a shadow over him as it floated in front of the moon. Just then, Syaoran, who had climbed up a stack of creates, jumped from atop a small shed, striking Shadow from behind, sending it spiraling down to Sora, who quickly swung his Keyblade for it, knocking it straight to Sakura, who brought her wand down on it, sealing it once more. They had claimed all the cards Luxord had corrupted.

"We did it!" Sora cheered, Sakura leaping with him as Syaoran gave a small smile.

"Excellent work indeed, Sora."

Sora and Sakura both stopped jumping and the trio looked around to see where the voice came from. Luxord sounded like he was right behind them. Syaoran drew is blade once more and assumed a defensive position.

"C'mon out!" he said sharply. "We finished your little game, Luxord."

Just as he said this, however, a dark, metallic shape swooped by them, snatching up Sakura and placing her in a giant wrought iron cage. It was some kind of Heartless, Sora could tell.

"Sakura, no!" Kero called, Sakura shrieking as the cage began to rock violently.

"The game never ends, dear Syaoran." Luxord mused as he floated slowly down an apartment building. "The Prison Keeper should prove an adequate challenge." he smirked, watching as Sakura shuddered in the Heartless' trap. It flexed it's giant, tendril-like fingers as it waved its lanky arms about, grinning with its jagged mouth for the two boys.

"Go on, amuse me. Continue this little game." Luxord taunted, the Heartless swinging its arms for them as he said this, Sakura clinging to the cage as it rocked about.

"We need to break Sakura free!" Sora called, rolling aside as the Heartless swung its arms for him, leaving smooth slices in the pavement. "We need her!"

Syaoran nodded, knocking away the creature's claws with precision. Luxord smirked as Sora and Syaoran tussled back and forth with the Prison Keeper's swaying arms, Sakura closing her eyes tight as her cage rocked all about in a frenzy. Every time Sora or Syaoran came close to Sakura, the Heartless countered them with its mighty arms. This was most definitely a powerful Heartless. If Sora were so vital to the Organization's plans, why would Luxord send such a powerful enemy for them? Just then, Sora got it. He wanted Sora to destroy it. It would clearly yield a strong heart for the Organization. Sora needed to stop this from happening. Growling, feeling his face burn with rage, he jumped for Luxord, only for him to swiftly dodge Sora's blind swipes.

"Dear me, Sora, you will never hit me if you'd give into your darkness so easily." Luxord taunted. "You may as well just fold and give up."

Sora breathed heavily as Syaoran began to defend himself from the mighty Heartless. This creature was a monster, the boy thought. How could he stand up against it. Just then, he remembered...

"TIME CARD!" Syaoran called, activating a Clow card he won in a previous face off. Instantly, time stopped, Syaoran rushing for the creature.

"I THINK NOT!" Luxord roared, Sora frozen as well. Luxord lunged for Syaoran, swinging his own cards for him which extended like small, razor-sharp daggers.

"How are you unaffected?" Syaoran spat, countering him with expert timing.

"My speciality" Luxord growled "is the manipulation of time." He and Syaoran both locked their weapons, Luxord holding a handful of razor cards against Syaoran's pulsating blade. "I don't like it when someone has a trump card greater than my own." he said savagely. Syaoran only huffed in amusement.

"You just don't like I when someone cheats better than you, is that it?" There was no trace of Luxord's collected, cool persona. Syaoran had really struck a chord.

"When you cheat, you eventually lose, little whelp." Luxord hissed, grinning as he force Syaoran back against a fence. "I really wanted a spirited fellow such as yourself to become a Heartless, but we can't win the whole purse in one go, now can we?"

"When you cheat, another cheat evens the odds!" Syaoran jeered back as he deactivated his card. Luxord turned just as Sora landed a jumping kick into his back, sending him crashing into the fence. Syaoran, however, slid under them both, rolling forward and jumping up to block the Prison Keeper.

"I'm not going to let things end the way you want them to, Luxord!" Sora spat furiously, summoning the Fenrir, a faint black mist swirling about the blade. "Call off the Heartless or die!" he said as he and the Nobody locked their weapons much like Syaoran did before.

"But at what cost, Sora?" Luxord said, laughing slightly. "At this rate you may as well just be a mindless Heartless... or even a Nobody!" he said as Sora looked over his shoulder to see Syaoran knocked down to one knee by the Heartless.

"Kid!" Kero called, sweating as he tried to help Syaoran up.

"Your choice, Sora." Luxord said as they both dropped their weapons, a faint yellow tint building in the black-cloaked figure's gleaming green eyes. "Save your friends and continue to send us hearts, or kill me and lose your precious friends... what does your heart of darkness tell you?"

Sora's eyes grew wide as Luxord said this. He was right. His darkness was out of control. First he allowed himself to become a mindless beast when he encountered Saix, now he abandoned Syaoran and Sakura for his grudge against the Organization. What was wrong with him?

"Time is not on your side, Sora." Luxord taunted, slipping his cards back into his cloak, leaving himself completely defenseless. "Kill me," he said as Syaoran feebly held the Prison Keeper's arms at bay "or feed Kingdom Hearts." Sora glared, a single tear dropping down his face.

"Damn you." he said quietly, turning back to the Heartless, Luxord giving a quiet, dark chuckle as he sank into a black portal. Sora cast _Cura_ on Syaoran and sliced the Prison Keeper's arms off, the Heartless rearing back, black smoke pouring fro its severed limbs.

"Syaoran, now!" Sora called. Syaoran nodded, jumping forward and swinging his charged blade for cage, Sakura tumbling to the asphalt.

"Sakura! Let's do this!" Kero called as he flew up beside her.

Nodding, Sakura twirled her wand about her tiny companion as he grew into a giant tiger-like beast, Cerberus flapping his regal wings as he shot for the Heartless, pouncing on it and pinning it to the ground, flames dancing from his body as it struggled to get free.

"Sora! Finish it!" the guardian beast called.

Sora rushed with a heavy heart for the Prison Keeper and shoving his blade into it's grimacing face, the Heartless fading away as a giant heart floated into space. Sora knew this was an empty victory.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry I put you both in danger the way I did." Sora said sadly. The sun was rising as Sora began to leave the main street where he first met with Sakura and Syaoran the afternoon before. He felt as thought he had betrayed them. It was time for him to leave. "It was wrong... I'm sorry."<p>

"Sora, please, don't be too upset." Sakura said, taking his hand. Sora turned back to her, seeing her eyes glistening. "Luxord just managed to crawl inside your head, the same way he did with the rest of us so many times before." she explained.

"But my darkness... it's grown so powerful..." Sora said, full of sorrow. "I don't know what's happening to me."

"There will always be darkness in your heart, Sora." Syaoran said suddenly, looking right into Sora's eyes. "Just like there will always be darkness in mine."

"And mine." added Kero, who had resumed his tiny form.

"You are a Keyblade wielder, Sora." Syaoran went on. "And all Keybearers are cursed to tread the path of twilight, searching for the dawn." Sora was touched. Syaoran was now a totally different person to him. "From what you've shown me, your journey is not over... and neither is mine." Syaoran said as he walked up to Sora. "I'm searching too."

"For your light?" Sora asked. Syaoran nodded. Sighing, Sora held his hand for his new friend. "Never lose sight of it."

The two boys smiled to each other as they shook. Sakura beamed as well.


	24. Assault on the Dreadnaught

Today was a big day for Sora, Krillin, and Gohan. They were finally going to find Riku, Kairi, and Goku. That was the first thing Sora decided when he awoke this morning. Chiyo Mihama was kind enough to serve him miso soup and grilled fish for breakfast. News that three of Radiant Garden's heroes were taking their leave traveled quickly and so a considerable farewell was prepared for them. Leon and Rikku had parting gifts for Sora; each of them gave him a keychain for his Keyblade. The one Leon gave him was a silver lion's head and the one Rikku gave him was some kind of silver arcane symbol. Aerith also had a gift for him, an Elixir that would restore not only his health but his energy and vigor. Once all the farewells were said, the trio got into the Falcon and blasted back into deep blue space.

As Gohan flew the ship, Sora admired his impressive collection of keychains; the _True Light's Flight _that Afro gave him, the _Fenrir _that Tifa gave him, the _Guardian Soul _that Auron gave him, and the two that he just got. He attached the lion's head keychain and the Kingdom Key transformed into a broad, silver Keyblade that bore a curious resemblance to Leon's Gunblade. He dubbed it the _Sleeping Lion. _He then removed the lion keychain and attached the one Rikku gave him; the Keyblade now had a feathery hand guard, thee yellow bows along the shaft, and a seagull icon at the top with its wing outstretched to form the blade. He dubbed this Keyblade the _Gullwing_.

"Where do you think we should go, Sora?" Gohan asked.

"I know exactly where we need to go." said Sora. "The mansion in Twilight Town."

"Why would we go back there?"

Sora reminded them about the photo that the stranger in the black cloak gave him.

"If a member of the organization gave that to you, then they're probably trying to lure you into a trap." Krillin suggested.

"I don't think it WAS a member of the organization." said Sora. "The one called Saix told me they wanted me to collect hearts for them, so why would they set a trap for me?"

"Okay, I'll buy that." said Krillin. "But if not the organization, then who?"

Sora gave Krillin a look to suggest that he should already know the answer.

"Goku? I doubt it."

"Not Goku…" said Sora, "Riku."

"What makes you think so?"

"Who else could it be?"

"Maybe it was Ansem…the real Ansem." Gohan proposed.

"I think the real Ansem's probably dead by now." said Krillin.

Before anyone could add another thought, something struck the ship, a squadron of Nobody ships was attacking. Sora shoved Krillin out of the pilot's seat and took the controls. The Falcon spun and rolled to avoid enemy projectiles and blasted everything in its way. They were approaching a fleet of large rectangular Nobody cruisers and behind them was a titanic castle-like battle station. A swarm of Nobody ships with clawed arms latched onto the Falcon, but there was a blaze of green light and in an instant, they were all vaporized; A giant mobile suit of white and blue armor wielding a green energy blade had just saved them. The strange mobile suit pointed to the battle station and engaged the approaching cruisers. With the shields at maximum power, Sora accelerated into a storm of laser fire.

* * *

><p>Xigbar led his handpicked (actually they were selected at random) squadron in his custom Nobody Starfighter. Sora's ship was speeding through the crossfire toward the Dreadnaught. If anything happened to the Dreadnaught, Xemnas would likely hold him responsible, so stopping Sora was his first priority. He accelerated until he was right on Sora's tail and prepared to fire.<p>

"Gotcha now." he cooed.

Before he could open fire, a sharp impact struck the rear of his ship.

"WHAT?"

Before he could determine what was happening, he went spinning through space and by the time he regained control, Sora was almost to the Dreadnaught and another vessel was guiding him, a car with aircraft wings! It could only have belonged to…

"Nabeshin! That Afro-Bastard!"

Suddenly, a cluster of lasers rained down and decimated Xigbar's squadron. The bounty hunter, Spike Spiegel's face then appeared on his monitor.

"Spike!" barked Xigbar. "You too?!"

"What can I say?" said Spike snidely. "I just don't like you guys."

Spike ended his transmission and Xigbar contacted Xemnas.

"Xemnas…we got a problem."

* * *

><p>The strange vessel led Sora into the Nobodies' battle station. The inside was full of dangerous contraptions and robotic drones that fired upon them. Finally, they reached the very center of the station where a great glowing sphere seemed to be giving it power. Sora flew around the sphere and tried blasting it, but it was protected by an energy field. Suddenly, a familiar face appeared on the monitor; it belonged to the man who attacked Sora in the shopping center he visited a while ago…Nabeshin was his name.<p>

"Just leave everything to me, kid!" said Nabeshin. "EXPLOSIONS FIX EVERYTHING!"

Before Sora could begin to question what he meant, Nabeshin rammed his vessel right into the shield, destroying it and causing the station's energy core to burst. Sora shifted the Falcon's thrusters to maximum speed, crashing into many obstacles on his way out of the station. He made it out just in time to avoid being consumed by the explosion. He looked back for a moment and saw enormous chunks of debris colliding with the remaining Nobody cruisers. This battle was finished…and Twilight Town was just ahead.


	25. Realm Between Realms

The usual bustle of Twilight Town seemed to be missing today. There was hardly anyone outside; Sora guessed that was unusual for this town.

"Sora, do you remember which way the mansion is?" asked Krillin.

"I think so." said Sora.

As they strolled through the town, they noticed people hastily concluding their businesses, closing their shops and scurrying indoors. Perhaps the Nobodies were still lurking around, causing trouble. Sora got his answer when they reached the woods and a group of crossbow-wielding Nobodies appeared and began firing red energy bolts at them. Sora rolled away and reflected the bolts back at them. Then Krillin cast _Blizzaga _to put out whatever caught fire. Finally, they reached the old mansion and Sora was shocked to see Hayner, Pence, and Olette on the ground covered in bruises. He rushed over to them and with some help from Krillin, healed them all.

"What happened?" Sora asked anxiously.

"We came here looking for Kairi..." said Hayner, "…and those grey things attacked us."

"You gotta be careful." Krillin insisted.

"Yeah, you guys didn't have to go and do that." Sora added.

"Of course we did!" said Hayner, making no attempt to conceal his frustration. "She's our friend too, you know!"

Sora had never considered that.

"You guys…" he said sincerely, "I'm grateful, really, but you're no match for the Nobodies."

"Look out!" Olette gasped.

Sora and his comrades whirled around to see about a dozen or so of the basic Nobodies and a few of the helmeted, wakasashi-wielding ones. Krillin cast a bolt of lightning, which they all gracefully flipped or twisted away from. He then waved his staff and sent Hayner, Pence, and Olette flying toward the mansion and created a force field to keep them there while Sora and Gohan engaged the Nobodies up close. They each cut a path through the grunts and split up; Sora engaged four of the wakasashi wielders while Gohan dealt with another group of crossbow wielders. Sora whipped the Gullwing around furiously, but could not parry every Nobody's strike in time. He suffered a few light cuts, backflipped away from them, and cast _Zero Gravity. _

The spell sent them drifting, allowing Sora to fry them all with _Fira. _Gohan had also bested his targets, with a little help from Krillin. About a dozen more Nobodies were emerging from the woods. Sora, Krillin, and Gohan prepared to engage them when a crimson blur shot down and knocked them all into the air. It was Goku! Another group of crossbow-wielding Nobodies appeared and fired on Goku, but he cast a powerful _Reflect _spell and sent their bolts back at them with astonishing precision.

"I've got something to tell you." he said, without preamble "I think I know where Ansem is…the real Ansem. I think he got into the organization's world!"

"Well, that's why we're here." said Sora.

"But how did you know to come here?" Goku asked, sounding both impressed and surprised.

"Someone…uh…left me a clue." Sora admitted.

"Who?"

"Well…Sora thinks it might've been Riku." said Gohan.

"Just a feeling I have." said Sora.

"Well if that's what you think…you're probably right." said Goku.

"You mean it's him? He's okay?"

Goku seemed reluctant to answer.

"You know something, Goku." said Sora, struggling to hold onto his patience. "I know you do."

"I…I can't, Sora. I made a promise." said Goku, Sora could see something like regret forming on his face.

"A promise…you made a promise to…"

Goku's features quickly turned grim. Sora didn't understand it at all, but it quickly became clear that he wasn't going to get an answer just yet.

"Um…who's Riku?" Olette asked quietly as they all made their way into the mansion.

"My best friend." said Sora. "He's the one I was looking for before you told me what happened to Kairi."

"Oh…I'm…sorry."

"Don't be."

Hayner was the next to speak up.

"We thought maybe there was a door to some kind of alternate dimension in here."

"Alternate dimension?" Goku repeated.

Hayner turned his attention to Gohan.

"Gohan, right? Do ya think we could see that pouch of yours?"

Gohan took out the pink pouch that Goku gave them when they first awoke in this town and Olette took an identical pouch out of her pocket.

"I made this pouch myself, every stitch, even the design on it." she explained. "So there shouldn't be another one like it."

"So, where'd you get it?" Hayner inquired.

Sora could see a look of discomfort on Goku's face.

"We got the pouch from my dad." said Gohan, nodding to Goku.

"Goku, sir, you got the pouch from Riku, right?" Olette asked delicately. "And you promised not to tell?"

Goku looked around at everyone and scratched his head awkwardly.

"Gosh, you guys." was all he managed to say.

"It makes sense now." said Hayner. "There's gotta be another town somewhere just like this one."

"Maybe it's where whatever's missing from this town goes." Pence added. "That's how it works in comic books an' stuff."

Finally Goku spoke.

"There's gotta be a computer in here somewhere. If we find it, we'll find what we're looking for."

The seven of them began searching the main hall and found nothing. It was a big mansion, so they split up into pairs; Pence with Olette, Gohan with Krillin, and Sora with Hayner, leaving Goku to search alone.

As Sora and Hayner searched the mansion's many guest rooms, Sora decided to take out the photo he got in the Dark Realm and show it to Hayner.

"Hayner, this is Roxas. You know him, right?"

"No, sorry." said Hayner, intrigued by what he was seeing. "I've never seen him before. But y'know…this photo proves that there's someone else out there just like me."

"Then there must be another Olette and another Pence." Sora concluded.

"EVERYONE!" they heard Goku shout. "I THINK I FOUND IT!"

Everyone rushed to the mansion's study where there was a large opening in the floor leading to a basement with metal walls. Goku pointed to a unicorn sculpture on a bookcase and explained that he found a hidden button on it that made a panel in the floor slide out. They descended into the basement and found a high-tech computer lab.

"This must be it." said Goku, indicating the computer with multiple monitors. "I wonder how it works."

"I can handle it." said Pence, taking a seat and turning it on.

The computer took a few seconds to load, but Pence couldn't log in without a password. Everyone turned to Sora.

"The only clue I got was this photo." he said "Try _Roxas_."

Pence typed it in, but it was incorrect.

"You sure that's it?" asked Krillin.

"Well, there was also an ice cream bar in the box I found the photo in." Sora remembered.

"That's it!" said Goku. "Ansem loved ice cream!"

"Do you have any idea what flavor it was?" asked Pence.

"It was weird-tasting." said Sora. "It tasted like sea-salt or something."

"Yeah…sea-salt flavor…it's an acquired taste." said Pence.

He typed it in and logged on. Whatever data was once on this computer seemed to have been wiped clean. Suddenly, a nearby machine was activated, it was large enough for one person to stand in and a cyan beam was shining down from an emitter at the top.

"This has to be it." said Goku

"We'll stay here an' explore the mansion a little more." said Hayner. "Best of luck, guys."

"Tell Kairi we look forward to seeing her again!" Olette insisted.

"Sure thing." said Sora.

One by one, Sora, Goku, Krillin, and Gohan stepped into the machine. When they stepped back out, they appeared to be back in the same lab, but then Sora noticed Hayner, Pence, and Olette were gone and Ansem's computer was smashed up. It looked as though it had been that way for a while.

"This is it." he said mostly to himself. "This is the other Twilight Town…Roxas' Twilight Town."

At the other end of the lab was a strange anomaly; it looked like a pale green portal with darkness swirling around it. This had to be an entrance to the Dark Realm. They pushed their way through the portal and on the other side was a swirling tunnel of neon gas. Half was pale pink, the other half was deep blue, and the whole tunnel was filled with Nobodies. In the center was Axel, and he appeared to be fighting the Nobodies. Sora rushed forward, carving a path through the hordes of Nobodies, there must have been a hundred of them.

"I knew you'd find your way here sooner or later!" Axel yelled across the tunnel.

"What did you do with Kairi?!" Sora demanded as he fought his way toward Axel.

"I took her out of Twilight Town, but then Saix showed up, so I got out of there." Axel explained as he sliced up any Nobody that came near him with his bladed wheel-like weapons. "Saix, he's the one with the blue hair."

"So Kairi's with them now?"

"Bingo!"

Axel spun around and sent a burning wave that incinerated several of the Nobodies with bladed arms. Krillin tried casting _Zero Gravity _but because they were already in a void, it did not hinder the Nobodies' mobility. He then conjured a great big _Graviga _orb that pulled all nearby Nobodies in, allowing him to strike them with lightning while Goku and Gohan fended the others off.

"I think…I liked it better when they…worked for me." Axel panted. "Well, kiddo…it was nice knowin' ya."

"It's not over yet!" Sora insisted.

"Oh, it's over…FOR THEM!"

Axel leapt toward the remaining dozen Nobodies and unleashed a mighty blast of flame that lit up the void. When the smoke cleared, Sora rushed over to Axel and saw that his body was slowly crumbling into ashes.

"You're…dying." Sora used the term for lack of a better one.

"Well…that's what happens when you put what's left of your energy into an attack." Axel said weakly. "Keep heading toward the darkness and you'll find the castle. Xemnas'll be there…and Saix. Watch out for Xigbar too…he's the one with the eye patch."

Axel's entire lower body was gone now.

"Kairi's probably in the dungeon…sorry I got her into this. I'll make it up to ya if I'm ever reincarnated or somethin'."

"Axel…why did you do it?" asked Sora.

"I just…wanted to see Roxas again…He was…the only real friend I had."

Sora stared down at the dying Nobody, pitying him.

"Roxas made me feel…like I had somethin' here." Axel muttered placing an arm on his chest. "It's funny…you make me feel…kinda the same way."

Axel continued to break down into ash until only his head, neck, and shoulders remained.

"Thanks for your help, Axel." said Goku. "We won't forget this."

Axel finally faded away and they all proceeded through the dark end of the tunnel. Sora was becoming more and more convinced that he and Roxas were somehow connected. When they at last emerged from the darkness, they found themselves in a dimly lit city street under a night-black sky. Rain was pouring down, but it didn't make a sound. Everything was dead-silent…it was scary. Sora took only a few steps and the street lamps began to flicker eerily. In mere moments the lamps blacked out and dozens of yellow eyes were staring at him. Krillin lit the area up with his staff so they could all see the droves of Neoshadows scurrying toward them. Sora blasted five of them back with his _Explosion _technique, Goku waved his arms and blasted ten more back with a wave of azure energy, Gohan did a furious spin-kick which reduced five more to black goo, and Krillin scorched the rest of them with a fire spell.

"We'd better find a way into that castle quickly." Goku decided.

Goku led them through the dark streets until they came to a more well-lit part of the city. A skyscraper, many stories tall and covered in blank neon signs stood before them. Sora stopped in his tracks, unable to take his eyes off of it. He thought he could see images forming on the large screen at the top, or perhaps the images were in his mind…he had seen them so many times before, so why didn't he recognize them now? Before he could comprehend what was happening to him, everything went black.

* * *

><p>When Sora came to his senses, he was in another familiar place; a large circular platform made of stained glass. The platform was blue, red, and purple. The edge was lined with gold crown symbols, on the left was the Heartless symbol and on the right was the Nobody symbol. In the center was an image of Sora thrusting a dark Keyblade into his own heart. He remembered doing this in the castle of Hollow Bastion to free Kairi's heart. He paced the platform for a bit and when he looked up, he saw a figure, his exact height, wearing a black cloak.<p>

"What are you?" Sora demanded, summoning the Kingdom Key.

"Someone from the dark." The figure replied in a voice that sounded impossibly like Sora's own.

The figure raised its hands and summoned a pair of Keyblades. One had a white wing-shaped hand guard, double shafts, and a colorful tooth. He recognized it as the _Oathkeeper_. The other was jet-black with a bat wing-shaped hand guard and a chain running along the blade. As Sora gazed at it, the name _Oblivion _came to mind. Without warning, the figure dashed toward Sora and began striking with both blades, leaving streaks of darkness and golden light with each slash. Sora parried each strike with ease and prepared to counterattack, but the figure vanished and reappeared behind him and pressed its assault. With each passing moment, it felt more and more as though Sora were fighting himself. An incredible sense of longing and nostalgia seemed to be welling up in Sora, but it could not possibly have been his own.

Sora's ears were also becoming overwhelmed by the clashing of the blades, which were in perfect sync with the beating of his heart. Now the figure fought faster; every time Sora parried one blade, the other struck him. Finally, the Kingdom Key was knocked from his hand and the figure held the Oblivion to his heart. Sora stood frozen in his tracks for some time staring at the Kingdom Key lying on the platform. He then gazed into the darkness beneath the figure's hood. Whatever this entity was…Nobody, doppelganger, inner demon, or dark reflection, it was not going to keep him from finding Kairi. He dropped to one knee, summoned the Kingdom Key back into his hand, and struck with all his might in less time than it took to contemplate. The figure dropped its Keyblades and fell back as Sora got back up. After a few moments, the figure slowly got to its feet and lowered its hood to reveal the smiling face of…

"Roxas!"

Roxas whispered something to Sora as brilliant golden light began to engulf his vision.

* * *

><p>Sora's eyes flew open and he sprung to his feet, feeling more alive and complete than he had in over a year! Goku, Gohan, and Krillin were standing around him looking concerned.<p>

"You blacked out for a few seconds." said Gohan. "You alright now?"

"Y-yeah…" Sora breathed. "I'm good now."

Sora was certain now that he and Roxas were one and the same, but he wasn't sure how it was possible. He had a vague idea, but wasn't sure he was ready to admit it to himself. He forced himself to dismiss it for the moment; all that mattered now was finding Kairi.


	26. The World that never Was

The four heroes continued their trek through the dark city until they reached a great, wide canyon full of pale green light and floating just above the center of the canyon was a massive white castle with many towers. High above the castle, Sora could make out what appeared to be a moon, a golden heart-shaped moon.

"I don't see a way in, so I'll just have to make one." Krillin decided.

He waved his staff and a bridge of light materialized and stretched toward the castle. He, Sora, and Gohan began walking up the bridge, but when Gohan noticed that his dad wasn't with them, he turned around to look for him. There was no sign of Goku.

"He was right behind us a minute ago." said Sora.

"He must have used _Instant Transmission_." Krillin concluded. "C'mon, guys. We have our duty, we'll let Goku do his."

* * *

><p>Goku's keen senses picked up the auras of two living beings in this castle. He locked onto one of them and traveled there in seconds via <em>Instant Transmission. <em>He found himself on a skyway leading to the castle's highest tower and he could see a group of Nobodies attacking someone. He dashed toward the Nobodies and beheaded them all in a single swipe. The Nobodies turned to dust and Goku looked down at the man who he recognized as DiZ. He let go of the strange device he'd been clutching and Goku helped him to his feet. He slowly began unwrapping the cloth he wore over his head to conceal his face. Finally the cloth fell to the floor to reveal the aging face of Ansem the Wise. Goku knew he had heard DiZ's voice before! A sort of melancholic smile formed on Ansem's face.

"It has been too long, old friend." he said softly.

Goku didn't return the smile.

"Why didn't you come to me before things got this bad?"

"Xemnas, the organization's leader is the Nobody of Xehanort…as I'm sure you are aware." DiZ said gravely. "The burden was mine to bear."

"Is that all?"

Ansem walked to the edge of the skyway and stared out into the endless blackness above.

"I won't deny there was more." He confessed. "I was…consumed with a desire for revenge. My once loyal subjects stole everything from me…my domain…my research…my pride. If only I hadn't dismissed your warning about Xehanort all those years ago."

"Where's Riku?"

"I'm sure he'll be here soon." said Ansem. "I take it you know what happened to him?"

"Yeah." said Goku. "He told me before he went to get Roxas that he might not make it back, and if he did, it might only be because he gave into the darkness. Is that really what happened?"

"I can only surmise that Roxas proved to be too strong for him, so he took on a more powerful form." said Ansem. "When he brought Roxas back to me, he began addressing himself as 'Ansem'. Oh…how my heart ached. I could only…laugh to hide my shame."

He turned to face Goku again, There was now a hint of determination in his features.

"My friend…the time has come for me to make amends to these young people."

He bent over his device and began trying to fix it.

"Please defend me for a little longer."

* * *

><p>Kairi had been sitting in this dark dungeon for days without food or water. The bars looked wide enough for her to squeeze through, but some kind of unseen force kept her from doing so. Finally, she saw the blue-haired man who brought her here pass by. She got to her feet and ran over to the bars.<p>

"How long are you going to keep me here?" she asked.

The man did not answer but kept walking. These cloaked men didn't care about Kairi one bit. They were going to leave her to die in here, but sooner or later Sora or Riku would come and save her. That's what she had to keep believing. Suddenly, she heard a gentle voice whisper her name. She whirled around to see a swirling black portal in the wall and a girl in a short white dress stepped out of it. She was almost identical to Kairi, except for her pale blond hair.

"Who…are you?" Kairi breathed, unnerved by this girl.

"I'm Namine." The girl said sweetly.

As the girl called Namine approached Kairi, she suddenly felt comforted, as though she were being reunited with a long lost friend…no…more like a long lost part of herself.

"Trust me." said Namine reaching out for Kairi.

Kairi cautiously took Namine's hand and her vision was engulfed in white light. When the light cleared, Namine was gone, but Kairi felt stronger and more complete than she'd felt in over a year. There was a flash of pink light and a Keyblade appeared before her. It was very different from Sora's; it had a long orange and gold shaft, flower-shaped teeth, a curved hand guard, and a keychain shaped like a paopu fruit. She reached out and grabbed the Keyblade out of the air. Holding it empowered her and she silently named it _Destiny's Embrace. _She rushed through the portal Namine made and began wandering the castle's corridors until she found her captor blocking her path, carrying a large sword.

"I'm afraid leaving is not an option." he rasped as he advanced on her.

Kairi had fenced with Sora and Selphie a couple times when she was little, but this man was clearly a warrior. Even with a Keyblade, she doubted she'd be able to hold her own against him. Suddenly another portal opened behind the man and another cloaked figure stepped out and hurled a ball of searing blue flame into the blue-haired man's back. The blue-haired man groaned and whirled around to see who dared attack him. Whoever it was carried a black and red bat wing-shaped blade with an angel wing-shaped hand guard.

"You…you're Riku, aren't you?" the blue-haired man inquired.

"R-Riku!" Kairi gasped.

The cloaked man she hoped was Riku began exchanging strikes and parries with the blue-haired man. Finally, he opened another portal and slipped inside. Riku was about to go in after him when Kairi ran for him and grabbed a hold of him. She slowly pulled of his hood and gazed at his face. It was dark and manly with a mane of white hair and yellow-orange eyes. It was not Riku's face, but somehow she knew it was him. A tear slid down Kairi's cheek.

"Riku…what happened to you?"

* * *

><p>The organization's castle was just about as plain on the inside as on the outside, no decorations, no color at all, but it was still enormous. He found his way into a large arena above a deep chasm and on the upper level was a small private balcony and standing upon it was Saix.<p>

"Sora, how did you get in here?" he asked in his usual icy tone.

"WHERE'S KAIRI?!" Sora demanded.

"She escaped from the dungeon not a minute ago."

Sora couldn't help but chuckle.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, but you're not going to see her again."

Saix pointed up through the skylight and Sora could see the heart-shaped moon shining brightly.

"Take a good look at Kingdom Hearts. Thanks to you and Roxas, we've collected thousands of hearts. You have served us well, Sora…but your usefulness had ended."

"Are you done yammering?" Sora spat.

"Yammering! As if!" another familiar voice barked.

Sora turned around to see Xigbar perched on a platform high above the arena.

"All we're tellin' you, traitor, is that your time is up!"

He connected his arrowguns to form a rifle-like weapon and took aim at Sora, who summoned the Sleeping Lion.

"Saix, stay out of this! He's mine!" Xigbar growled as he unleashed a volley of dark energy bolts at Sora.

"Very well." said Saix. "Indulge yourself."

Saix warped away and a group of the crossbow-wielding Nobodies appeared and started firing on Krillin and Gohan. Xigbar dashed off of the platform and began running around the arena…in midair! Sora flipped, rolled, and dashed from left to right to avoid his relentless barrages. Every once in a while he'd ineffectually launch a fire ball or lightning bolt, but he never scored a hit. Xigbar then split his rifle into two guns again, opened a series of small portals around the arena and began firing into them.

Dark bolts rained down on Sora from all sides and he used his Keyblade to shield himself from the ones he couldn't avoid. He had to stop moving to use _Reflect, _but that wasn't an option, because as soon as the barrier wore off, he'd be hit from all sides. Krillin cast _Aeroga _on Sora to reduce the damage he took and he leapt high into the air and landed several hits on Xigbar. Xigbar warped just before he hit the arena floor and reappeared on the platform, where he stepped on a switch that caused the section of the arena that Krillin was standing on to detach and fall into the chasm below.

Xigbar fired another volley of bolts at Sora, but Gohan threw himself in front of Sora and batted the bolts away from his shield, but that didn't stop Xigbar from making a cheap-shot with his other gun. He shot Gohan in the shoulder and he fell back. Sora bent down and took out the elixir that Aerith gave him. He blocked one shot from Xigbar with his Keyblade, but Xigbar shot the bottle out of his hand with his other gun and it shattered on the floor, much to Sora's fury.

"Heh! I never get tired of that look on yer face!" Xigbar jeered.

Xigbar took a few moments to reload his guns and warped to the other side of the arena.

"Let's see how ya dance!" he jeered.

He opened a portal above him and began firing into it. Portals opened on all sides of the arena and red-hot bolts poured out of them. Sora began leaping, rolling, and otherwise maneuvering around the arena to avoid them. Suddenly the red bolts stopped coming and searing blue bolts began pouring down. Sora did a back flip high into the air, but when he landed, the arena floor was covered in a thin sheet of ice.

He began slipping and sliding as Xigbar fired more red bolts. Sora couldn't dodge them all; any he didn't deflect ended up hitting him, and twice, he'd nearly slid off the edge. Finally, Xigbar warped in front of him with his guns connected and fired a super-charged bolt, which Sora reflected, but then Xigbar warped behind him and shot him in the back. Sora collapsed and Xigbar brought his foot down on the arm he held the Keyblade with.

"Nighty-night, kiddo." he jeered, pointing his rifle between Sora's eyes.

Suddenly, something flew toward Xigbar and knocked the rifle out of his hands. It was Gohan! Despite his injuries, he'd flung his shield and was now charging toward Xigbar, who cartwheeled to the right just in time to avoid being drop-kicked. Sora saw a blade spring out of the tip of Xigbar's boot and he drove it into Gohan's side before he could get up. Sora sprung to his feet and tried to run Xigbar through, but he caught Sora's arm, twisted it painfully and rammed his skull into Sora's forehead. He snatched up his rifle and prepared to fire again, but he seemed to be out of ammunition.

"Well, ain't that just a–"

Before Xigbar could even finish his sentence, Sora hurled his Keyblade so hard he pulled a muscle in his shoulder. The Keyblade hit Xigbar right in the center. He staggered back for a bit and fell to the floor.

"Hey…" Sora panted, "Why did you call me traitor?"

"Heh, wouldn't you like to know?" Xigbar taunted.

In a matter of seconds, Xigbar crumbled into dust and Sora went to heal Gohan. The door they entered through slid open and Krillin rushed through.

"What happened?" asked Sora

"There was…opening down there…took me below the castle…" Krillin panted, "…saved myself by grabbing a pipe…had to climb all the way back up to the entrance."

Without warning, dozens of Nobodies appeared. Most were the lithe, long-limbed ones they were used to, but there were also wakasashi wielders and two large hulking ones that wielded claymores. Krillin sent the big ones drifting away so Sora and Gohan could deal with the others. Suddenly, none other than Kairi dropped down in front of Sora, nearly giving him a heart-attack. She was even holding a Keyblade! Sora was so shocked he could barely move and when one of the Nobodies tried to strike him, Kairi beheaded it with her Keyblade. When the rest of the Nobodies were bested, Kairi flung her arms around Sora.

"It's really you." she said in little more than a whisper.

"How…how did you…escape?"

Kairi pointed to a walkway above them and upon it was someone Sora never thought he'd see again…Xehanort's Heartless…the Imposter Ansem!

"He helped me." said Kairi. "Come on, he needs us."

Kairi ran to the other side of the arena with Sora, Krillin, and Gohan not far behind. She led them up a skyway to the walkway overlooking the arena. It was indeed the Heartless of Xehanort; he was wearing an organization cloak and fighting some Nobodies with Riku's bat wing-sword... which now appeared to be a Keyblade! How was this all possible? When he bested the Nobodies, Xehanort's Heartless turned to acknowledge Sora for a moment. There was a hint of emotion on his face…shame…regret maybe.

"Riku, don't go!" cried Kairi.

Sora, Krillin, and Gohan all gasped as Kairi rushed over to the being they thought was Xehanort's Heartless.

"K-Kairi…what did you say?"

"It's Riku…" Kairi repeated. "Sora, come over here."

Sora reluctantly did so and Kairi took one of his hands and placed it in Xehanort's.

"Close your eyes, you'll see." Kairi assured him.

Sora shut his eyes and slowly, Riku appeared before him. His eyes flew open and he was staring into the face of Xehanort again. Sora fell to his knees and tears welled up in his eyes.

"Riku…I looked…everywhere for you." he breathed. "Why didn't you let me know you were okay?"

"I didn't want you to see me like this."

Both Riku's voice and Xehanort's came from the entity standing before Sora.

"I chose this form so I could use the power of darkness."

Sora got to his feet and wiped his eyes.

"It doesn't matter now. You're still Riku no matter what!"


	27. Last Line of Defense

Xemnas stood atop the castle's highest tower admiring his Kingdom Hearts. It was almost ready to make him complete…he could feel it.

"Xemnas, is it ready?" Saix asked from behind him.

"Very soon." Xemnas replied.

"Then we can end the charade and dispose of the intruders?"

"Indeed."

Xemnas didn't even bother to acknowledge his first lieutenant as he left. The other members were doomed and he was to be the only survivor, as he had predicted; but this was not a problem. Once he was complete, he would start over again with a new organization. There was just one last thing he needed to take care of before he became complete, so he summoned his personal cadre of Sorcerer Nobodies and opened a portal leading to a project he'd been working on in secret for months. It was to be the ultimate weapon, the ultimate bond between man (or Nobody) and machine. He had stolen countless resources from many worlds and copied blueprints from Mobile Suits, Evas, and Zoids to create this masterpiece and it was nearly operational.

* * *

><p>"How's it going?" Goku asked as he slew the last of the Nobodies that threatened him and Ansem.<p>

"It's ready." said Ansem wearily.

A brilliant beam of emerald light shot from his device and it reached the moon above them.

"What's this device for anyway?" asked Goku.

"Its purpose is to reclaim Kingdom Hearts by encoding every last heart up there as data."

"Is that really possible?" Goku had to wonder.

"Unlikely." the elderly man said with no emotion in his voice. "In a few minutes, however…we will find out."

* * *

><p>Riku led Sora and the others into a small chamber that looked suspiciously like a crypt. At the other end was what might have been a corridor leading out, but a large silver barrier was blocking it. Riku tried opening a dark portal, but something wasn't letting them leave. Sora was about to try his Keyblade when a portal opened beneath him and he fell through. He landed in some kind of observatory. Standing before him was Saix, he had his back turned to Sora and was admiring Kingdom Hearts through an opening in the ceiling.<p>

"It is nearly complete, Sora." said Saix, there was something that sounded like triumph in his voice. "Still…one more heart cannot hurt."

Sora removed the Sleeping Lion keychain and attached the True Light's Flight.

"You really think I'm gonna help you again?"

Saix slowly turned to face Sora and summoned a massive silver and cobalt sword. It looked like a claymore with a blade like that of a flamberge.

"Of course you are." he replied, there was a more threatening edge to his voice now. "One more heart I said…your heart, Sora."

A golden glow surrounded Saix; His muscles began bulking up, his ears and teeth grew slightly pointier, his smooth X-shaped scar grew jagged and torn, and his eyes turned completely white.

"All you need to do now is…PERISH!"

* * *

><p>One minute, Kairi was with Sora and his friends. The next minute, she was on top of a balcony overlooking much of the castle and standing before her was a man in a black cloak. He was fairly tall and lean with short blond hair, a well-kept goatee and several earrings. She knew she saw him once before.<p>

"Who…"

"I'd rather we skip the formalities." the stranger said in a refined manner.

The area around them was shrouded in a rippling black veil and a glowing gold clock appeared above them.

"What's going on?" Kairi asked, alerted.

"We're going to play a game, darling." said the stranger. "You may not want to play, but you **will **play. The rules are simple; we're free to use any techniques and spells at our disposal. In thirteen minutes, the game is over and whoever is still standing survives."

* * *

><p>Saix roared loudly, waving his mighty claymore and sending out searing waves of golden light, knocking Sora off his feet and causing his eyes considerable pain. In a flash, the Nobody zoomed toward him with surprising speed and knocked him around the room with his claymore. Sora tried casting <em>Thundara <em>but Saix's claymore absorbed the lightning. He tried casting _Gravity _and _Zero Gravity _but they had no effect on Saix at all.

"BEGONE!"

Sora rolled away as Saix tried to smash him, but the tremor he created, sent Sora tumbling. Suddenly, Sora could feel himself being pulled toward Saix; a few pipes were torn from the walls, and a few instruments flew from a nearby shelf and started revolving around him. Unable to resist the pull any longer, Sora flew toward Saix and was struck with bone-shattering force.

* * *

><p>Kairi ran as fast as she could as the Nobody, whom she remembered to be Luxord, threw razor-sharp cards for her, sticking in the floor like darts.<p>

"So the little princess thinks she can fight with a Keyblade." Luxord taunted. "Those who've never gambled before are schooled easily." he said, snapping his fingers, giant dice falling from the sky, crashing down around Kairi. He was right. She may have tussled with Sora and Selphie on occasion, but she was no match for one of these powerful Nobodies.

"If you keep up like this, I'll have your head by the time I'm finished with this hand." he laughed as he commanded the giant dice to shoot for her.

One thing she was skilled at when she would challenge her friends was her defense. She could hold them at bay for a while. They'd eventually tire out and she'd beat them. Still, there seemed to be no end to Luxord's power. The dice continued to bounce back for her every time she would deflect it. Swallowing hard, she did something very reckless. When one came for her, she struck it hard, sending it for Luxord, causing him to dive out of the way as the remaining dice crashed painfully into Kairi. Ignoring the pain, she rushed for Luxord and swung for him, knocking him against the wall of darkness entrapping them.

"So, the little princess does have some fight in her." he mused. "And here I was thinking you hadn't anything to bid."

Kairi's eyes darted for the giant clock. She only had seven minutes left.

* * *

><p>Saix continued his relentless onslaught, roaring with rage that couldn't have been his own. He leapt toward Sora and tried to slice into him with his claymore, but Sora rolled out of the way and the blade got stuck in the floor. Saix conjured another claymore and started sweeping it from left to right…in a reverse-grip no less! Sora parried each blow, but the force was hurting his arms. He kept this up for some time and finally, he sprayed some ice crystals in Saix's face and leapt far away from him, the Nobody roaring out like an animal as he clutched his face. After a moment, Saix slowly wiped the ice from his eyes and gave Sora a look that would frighten a braver man. Growling, his pointed teeth bared, Saix stepped to the center of the room and used his power over gravity to pull Sora toward him again, but Sora was quick. He grabbed a hold of Saix's first claymore, which was still embedded in the floor and clung to it desperately.<p>

* * *

><p>Kairi dove out of the way as Luxord threw more and more cards for her. Turning quickly, she swung her Keyblade at a few flying cards, cutting them in two.<p>

"You are full of surprises, aren't you, little Princess of Heart?" Luxord chuckled, the clock clicking down to two minutes. "Should the time run out, I will win by default, just so you know." he said, Kairi's eyes widening as dark mist swirled around him. He was descending further and further into darkness as they fought. Finally, he reached quickly into his cloak and threw a handful of chips for her, which instantly exploded, Kairi narrowly dodging them.

"Whatever the case, you are but a chip in the pile." Luxord taunted. "I was actually hoping to meet with that boy again." he said, thinking of Sora. "He had such a raw darkness in him, I wonder where it came from... I could even taste it." he jeered, firing more chips at Kairi. "Oh well, you've been quite an amusement!" he spat, firing more and more at her. Finally, a chip tore into her leg, causing her to drop to the floor. She could see the clock. Only twenty seconds remained.

"Time for the final bidding!" Luxord laughed, lunging for her, two handfuls of cards outstretched. It was then that Kairi felt something inside her. A strength she didn't have before. Was it that other girl?

"_**Strike** **Raid!**_" Kairi called, flinging her Keyblade like a spinning disk for Luxord, the weapon crashing into his face.

Luxord flew back and crashed to the floor, the Kayblade appearing back in Kairi's hand as she charged for him. Before he could scramble up, Kairi cracked him hard in the shoulder, violently jerking his body around, leaving him straining to climb to his feet. Just then, a loud gong sounded, Luxord turning pale. He slowly turned his head to look up at the clock, which had run out.

"You said the last one standing... right?" Kairi breathed. Luxord reached out to seize her but his body froze solid, turning silver and petrified. Her eyes narrowing, Kairi brought her Keyblade down on the petrified Luxord, shattering him into pieces.

* * *

><p>The bitter wind was tearing into Sora as he still clung to Saix's embedded claymore. Finally, the giant blade was pried loose and Sora flew toward Saix. He parried Saix's strike with his own claymore (though the force sent the claymore spinning out of Sora's hand) and he thrust his Keyblade into Saix's chest. Saix dropped his other claymore, groaned and pulled the Keyblade out of his chest. Sora summoned the Keyblade back into his hand, leapt toward Saix and unleashed a furious combo of vertical and horizontal slashes. Finally, Saix was on the ground and Sora watched apathetically as he crawled toward the window.<p>

"Kingdom…Hearts…" He muttered weakly, placing a hand on the window. "Where…is…my…heart?"

In moments, Saix crumbled into dust. Exhausted from the fight, Sora collapsed. While unconscious, he flashed back to when he plunged the dark Keyblade into his heart and Roxas' face appeared in his mind. It was clear now; he couldn't deny it any longer. When he came to, Riku (still in his Xehanort form), Kairi, Krillin, and Gohan were standing over him.

"You alright?" asked Riku in both his voice and Xehanort's.

"Riku…you know Roxas, right?"

"Yeah, I do."

"He's my Nobody, isn't he?"

"Yes he is." Riku answered without hesitation. "He could use a Keyblade because he was your Nobody. That's probably why he was brought into the organization."

"What happened to him?"

"While you were asleep, Ansem the Wise told me to go and get him. We figured if he and you were together, you'd finally wake up. I tried to convince Roxas to come with me, but he refused…not really sure why. I fought with him and he was stronger than I thought…so…I did the only thing I could think of…I took on this form and overpowered him."

"So…Roxas is in me now?"

Riku nodded.

"Don't worry, you should still be you. Kairi had a Nobody too and now the two of them are one."

"Her name is Namine." said Kairi.

"How can Kairi have a Nobody?" Sora asked, bewildered. "She didn't turn into a Heartless!"

"I'm…not really sure." said Riku.

"It doesn't matter." said Kairi with her irresistibly sweet smile. "We're both whole."

Riku led them back up to the crypt. The barrier was gone so they could proceed.

"We need to take care of Xemnas..." said Riku, "…so we can end this."


	28. Ansem's Atonement

Goku watched as Ansem's machine began to malfunction and Ansem lay beside it, still weak from his injuries (which he refused to allow Goku to heal).

"I'm such a fool." Ansem chuckled weakly. "I should have known it was impossible to encode something as complex as **one** heart...let alone thousands. I spent years studying the workings and mysteries of the sentient heart, but it seems I know even less than I thought."

Goku could feel the empathy welling up within him as he stared down at the broken man.

"It's always the same." Ansem chuckled, tears now falling from his eyes. "I try to wrap my mind around things my heart probably knows. A heart…is so much more than anything the human mind can create. The inhabitants of my digital Twilight Town were proof of that. They were all data created from real hearts. I convinced myself that they would all think and behave the way I envisioned…but I was wrong."

"Goku!"

Riku (still in his Xehanort form) came running up the skyway followed by Sora, Kairi, Krillin, and Gohan. Sora walked over to Ansem and knelt beside him.

"It's you isn't it?" he asked.

"I'm so glad to see you awake, my lad." said Ansem softly.

"Thank you for keeping me safe, sir."

"Please…don't thank me." said Ansem, making no effort to stop the tears falling from his eyes.

"Why?" Sora asked gently.

"When I first discovered you, I saw you as merely a weapon…a way to punish Xehanort…and for that, I am most sorry. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

"That's fine but…I need you to tell me about Xemnas." said Sora.

"What do you wish to know?" asked Ansem, finally wiping the tears from his eyes.

"What are his powers? How do I beat him?"

"There is **another** realm beyond ours…a realm where neither light nor darkness exist. Few know of this realm, but those who do call it the Realm of Nothingness. Xemnas discovered this realm and gained the power to manipulate the energy that comes from it. You must not allow him to strike you with this energy. If he does…you are doomed."

Sora tensed as Xemnas strode down the skyway and Ansem placed a hand on his arm.

"I was wondering who would be so bold as to interfere with my kingdom Hearts." Xemnas said unkindly.

Goku pulled Sora back as Xemnas approached Ansem and stared mercilessly down at him.

"Go on, then." said Ansem, without fear. "I deserve as much for ever allowing any of this."

"That is right." said Xemnas. "None of this would be possible without you."

Sora bared his teeth as Xemnas pointed an accusing finger down at the helpless Ansem.

"It was your research that inspired me to go further than you ever dared. I thought you'd praise me…but you only tried to hold me back. I couldn't allow your fear and jealousy stand in the way of my progress…and now look at what I have achieved."

He gestured to Kingdom Hearts, shining in the black sky.

"I am creating a new and better world, one heart at a time."

"Xehanort…" Ansem said grimly. "Foolish apprentice to a foolish master…you have only proven how little we both know. First you tried to destroy me, and then you took my name and continued research better left forgotten. Our disregard brought chaos to more worlds than one. Is that your idea of a better world?"

"Make no mistake…there will be order…my order…the order…of Xehanort."

"Madness…" said Ansem, his voice shaking with guilt and derision. "Any order that you try to create…any world of yours would be an empire of ignorance! That is why you and your creation are destined to fall!"

Ansem's machine began to spark and whine, it was about to explode.

"Get away, everyone!" Ansem implored. "When it releases its energy…**anything **could happen!"

Xemnas warped away and Riku opened a great dark portal as the machine burst in a blinding flash of white light. The portal absorbed most of the blast, but everyone was thrown back. When they all came to, Ansem was gone and Riku was still lying on the ground. Sora rushed over to his friend as he slowly got up. No longer was he staring into the yellow-orange eyes of Xehanort, but the blue-green eyes of his oldest friend. Kairi and Sora flung their arms around him. When they finally released him, he walked over to the remains of Ansem's machine.

"No matter what mistakes he made…he was a good man." Riku said sadly.

Goku clapped his hands on Riku's shoulders.

"I promise you, he won't have died in vain."

"Yeah!" said Sora. "Together, we'll succeed where he couldn't!"

A wry smile formed on Riku's face, the smile that everyone on the Destiny Islands knew and loved.

"Just try not to slow the rest of us down, Sora."

He turned to Krillin and Gohan.

"Krillin, Gohan, thanks for keeping this little idiot out of trouble."

Everyone chuckled except Sora, who folded his arms and muttered something.

"Goku," Riku went on. "I'm guessing you broke your promise, but I forgive you."

He turned around and summoned his Keyblade.

"Everyone, it's time to end this."

He led everyone up the skyway toward the highest tower. As he ran, Sora removed the True Light's Flight keychain and attached the Guardian Soul. When they reached the top of the tower, Xemnas was there, staring up at the moon. It had a gaping hole in it and countless hearts were pouring out.

"My Kingdom Hearts…ruined." he moaned, his voice filled with sorrow that they all knew was false. "I'll have to start all over again."

Slowly, he turned to face Sora, Goku, and Riku.

"Warriors of the Keyblade, go forth…and bring me more hearts."

"NO!" the three of them shouted, pointing their Keyblades at Xemnas.

"Denizens of light, answer this; why do you fight the darkness?"

"We don't," Riku replied without hesitation. "We fight the ones who use it for evil."

"If there were people out there who used light for evil, we'd fight them too." Goku added.

"Evil…as if such a label could have any meaning to a being such as myself." said Xemnas. "I who was rejected by both light and darkness, never given a choice."

"If you're looking for sympathy, you won't get it from us." said Goku.

"Do I not deserve another chance at life?" asked Xemnas. "Only I have the knowledge and the vision to change the world. But to do this, I must become complete again. Surely a few thousand more hearts are an acceptable loss…to create a better future."

"Enough talk!"

Sora dashed toward Xemnas, despite the protests of Riku and Goku. He was so sick of hearing Xemnas' pontificating, he just wanted to shut him up. Xemnas opened a dark portal beneath himself and Sora. They both fell through and landed in front of the skyscraper where he had his encounter with Roxas.

"This seems the ideal place for your demise." said Xemnas, his voice much more menacing now.

Before Sora could make a move, Xemnas cast some kind of spell on him. Sora's heart skipped a beat as three silver crystals appeared and began revolving around him. Xemnas vanished; Sora looked around for him and saw him at the very top of the skyscraper. He could feel the energy draining from his body, so he tried casting _Reflega_and the crystals shattered. Sora ran up the front of the skyscraper toward Xemnas. When he was about halfway up, Xemnas conjured his pale energy blades and dove down toward him. When they reached each other, Sora flipped off the skyscraper and began exchanging strikes with Xemnas. They kept this up as they descended until they landed on solid ground again.

Xemnas danced around Sora, swinging his blades with deadly grace and precision. A few times, Sora thought the blades passed through him, though he felt nothing. Xemnas finally glided away from Sora. He looked down at his body, to see if he'd been cut and saw to his horror that one of his arms and one of his legs were transparent. They felt almost weightless, as if they barely existed. Xemnas made four more energy blades appear around Sora. They all zoomed toward him and he cast _Reflega _again, causing them to shatter. He couldn't let Xemnas hit him again, or he was done for.

Xemnas raised his hand and sent a long, thick stream of silver energy at him. A large ghostly hand formed at the end of the stream and Sora rolled to the side to avoid it and sent a lightning bolt at Xemnas. The bolt sent him flying, but he rolled in midair and regained his balance, floating centimeters from the ground. He conjured four more energy blades and hurled them at Sora, who rolled forward to avoid them.

Xemnas glided toward Sora like a phantom and tried to slash him with the blades he held, but Sora cast _Reflera, _causing the blades to shatter on impact. He then struck Xemnas a few times and cast _Gravity. _Xemnas collapsed to the ground and streams of darkness surrounded him, forming a sphere. When the darkness cleared, there was no sign of Xemnas, only a portal that was slowly closing. Sora jumped through the portal and landed back on the top of the tower with Riku and the others.


	29. Eternal

Sora ignored the barrage of questions from his friends and took a moment to examine his body. His arm and leg were solid again, the injuries he suffered from Xemnas were gone.

"Where's Xemnas?" he asked.

"No idea," said Goku, "but we have another problem."

Sora could hear rumbling all around them.

"That's been going on for a while." said Goku. "This world's becoming unstable. We need to get out of here soon, but I don't know how to get out of this world with my Keyblade."

"I can't seem to open a portal, either." said Riku.

"Keep trying." Goku urged him.

Suddenly a portal slowly opened behind them.

"Did you make that?" Goku asked Riku.

"Not sure." said Riku. "But you all better go through, before it closes."

Goku nodded and entered the portal with Krillin and Gohan. As soon as they entered, a ghostly image of a girl in a white dress appeared. She looked just like Kairi, only with pale blond hair. Sora knew right away who she was.

"Thank you, Namine." said Kairi softly.

Namine smiled at Kairi and then turned to Sora.

"You see? We meet again…just like we promised."

"Huh?"

At that instant, she faded away. What could she have meant by that?

"Sora, Riku, let's go home." said Kairi.

"I'm not going." said Riku.

Sora's heart skipped a beat; he whirled around to face his troubled friend."

"WHY?!" he and Kairi asked in unison.

"Remember the night the darkness took our world?" Riku reminded them. "It was me…my burning desire brought the darkness there…I destroyed our world. I don't think I can go back after what I did."

"But, Riku…everything's fine there now." said Kairi, her tone almost imploring. "Everyone's alive…Tidus, Selphie, Wakka, our families…everyone."

Riku said nothing, but walked to the edge of the tower and stared into the dark horizon.

"I'm not going, if you're not." said Sora.

"Neither am I." said Kairi, much to Sora's shock.

Riku finally turned to face Kairi and said "Kairi…Sora and I'll be home soon, but you need to get home **now**."

Kairi looked from Riku to the shrinking portal.

"See you soon." she said, as she rushed in.

The portal dissipated, leaving Sora and Riku alone.

* * *

><p>When Kairi emerged from the darkness, she was back on Sora's island. Goku, Krillin, and Gohan were there too.<p>

"So this is your world." said Goku. "It's really nice."

"Sora and Riku stayed behind to settle things," said Kairi, "But I know they'll be here soon."

"Of course they will." said Goku. "The three of you have a bond that can't be broken. I wish two other friends of mine were here to see it."

"What happened to them?" Kairi inquired, unsure if the question was appropriate.

"Well, a tragedy happened years ago and they were torn apart." Goku replied, looking toward the sky. "I'm sure they're still out there though…and I keep hoping I'll see them again."

* * *

><p>Sora and Riku had put Xemnas' castle behind them and had been trekking through the dark city for some time. They at last reached an enormous station that was composed of two massive cylinders and a tall tower in the middle. Something huge, white, and metal was perched on top of the tower.<p>

"What's that?" Sora wondered.

"Whatever it is, it must be important to Xemnas." Riku concluded. "Let's destroy it."

As they ran toward the station, the thing on top of the tower shifted. Sora could tell what it was now; it was a giant mechanical dragon! The dragon fired a dark, rippling blue beam which hit a nearby building, causing chunks of debris to rain down on Sora and Riku. They swung their Keyblades and hacked apart whatever debris didn't miss them and kept running. Finally they reached the station and dozens of robotic drones, each bearing the Nobody symbol descended to confront them. They began knocking the robots into the station's power source and the cylinder began sparking. They leapt to the other catwalk as the first cylinder exploded and repeated the process until the other one began to malfunction. They began leaping up the station until they reached the tower, which they smashed their way through. The chamber was guarded by four robed phantom-like Nobodies that attacked by conjuring pale energy cubes. They sent the cubes speeding toward Sora and Riku, trying to push them back out, but Sora shattered the cubes with _Reflect _and Riku did the same with a dark shield. Together, they sliced their way through the Nobodies and took an elevator to the top of the tower. When they exited the elevator, three more of the robed Nobodies were waiting for them. They rolled right past the Nobodies, leapt off the edge and grabbed a hold of the dragon's tail just as it was taking off.

They began climbing toward the dragon's back as it flew over the city. Suddenly a pair of glowing glyphs appeared and from each of them came a silver beam of energy, which they blocked with their Keyblades. The glyphs disappeared and they reached the dragon's back. They each sliced off one of its wings, but the large thrusters at its sides kept it in the air. Sora began firing lightning bolts into one of the thrusters and followed up with a technique he hadn't used in a while…_Thunder Raid! _He cast his now electrified Keyblade into the thruster and it exploded. Riku kept launching dark fireballs from his Keyblade until it became shrouded in darkness. He then cast it into the other thruster and it too exploded.

The dragon began plummeting and the whole city…the entire land around them began imploding. Before the dragon could hit solid ground, a swirling portal of darkness bigger than any Sora had ever seen opened and they sank through. All around them, thousands of buildings and enormous chunks of the Nobody world were being sucked into the abyss. A huge chunk of debris was hurtling toward Sora so fast he didn't know he could avoid it. So, with a furious roar, he swung his keyblade… he swung it so hard that the energy he released cut through the debris like a giant invisible blade. Below them, the dragon turned to face them and began firing more dark beams at them. They rolled about and continued their descent until they reached a nearby floating building. Riku landed on it and began pushing on it.

"_Sora…are you certain you can trust Riku?"_

The voice was Xemnas', but whether it was echoing through the abyss or through Sora's mind, he neither knew nor cared. Xemnas wasn't going to turn them against each other, not if they ended him here and now. Sora landed on the building and helped Riku push. Their combined strength (and the lack of gravity) sent the building hurtling toward the dragon and crashed right into it. The dragon tumbled back and as they got closer to it, they could see a throne attached to its head and upon the throne was Xemnas. He was holding a silver scepter and clad in regal silver armor with the Nobody symbol on the chest plate and greaves, and a crown of gold spires on the helmet and left pauldron.

"Sora…Riku…there is falsehood within your hearts…do you dare…deny it?"

Riku fired a salvo of dark fire balls at Xemnas, but he shielded himself from them with a silver wall of energy. Sora hurled his Keyblade so hard, it crashed through the energy wall and hit Xemnas in the chest. They landed on the dragon's head and Xemnas rose from his throne and lifted his scepter. He swung it down and Sora and Riku rolled out of its way. Sora summoned his Keyblade back into his hand as Riku pushed Xemnas back with another salvo of dark fire balls. Sora threw himself at Xemnas and swung with all his might, cracking his armor open. The three of them began drifting away and Xemnas opened a hazy grey portal that they all drifted through.

* * *

><p>Sora and Riku were floating in an endless, hazy grey void…and floating before them was Xemnas, stripped of his armor and clad in a shimmering silver robe.<p>

"Heroes from the Realm of Light," he said, his voice echoing ghost-like through the void. "I will not allow this to end your way. For if light and darkness are eternal…then surely I…a creature of **nothing** must be the same…eternal."

"You're right about one thing, Xemnas." said Riku, apathetically. "Light and darkness **are **eternal. Nothingness probably goes on forever too."

"But guess what, that doesn't mean **you're **eternal!" spat Sora.

Xemnas allowed himself an empty laugh.

"No more eternal than that radiance of yours."

Without warning, Xemnas warped behind Sora and hurled him through the void. He then glided after him, swinging his pale energy blades. Sora twirled and tumbled to evade Xemnas' strikes. Riku tried to strike Xemnas from behind, but he parried with one blade and sent a web of silver tendrils at Sora, who twisted around them. He and Riku began slashing furiously at Xemnas, but he parried their strikes every time. Finally, he kicked them both away and rose above them. He conjured a huge silver sphere and cast it down on them. They struck the sphere and pushed it with all their might, sending it back at Xemnas, who broke it into hundreds of smaller spheres. As the spheres rained down, Sora and Riku twisted and rolled to avoid them.

Xemnas descended and seized Sora. His hand turned spectral and he thrust it into Sora's chest.

"And now…I claim…your heart."

In an instant, Riku knew what Xemnas was doing; he was trying to pull out Sora's heart! He rushed toward Xemnas and struck him hard, sending him tumbling away from Sora. The two of them stepped up their assault, slashing and thrusting at Xemnas with increasing desperation. They each managed to score a few hits on him and continued their assault, not relenting for an instant. Finally, Xemnas pushed them away with another web of silver tendrils and rose above them again. One by one, hundreds of energy blades began appearing around Sora and Riku, trapping them.

"If I am truly destined to perish, I shall at least take the two of you with me." Xemnas declared with a hint of grim acceptance in his voice. "Prepare yourselves…one way or another…it ends now!"

One by one, the energy blades began flying toward Sora and Riku. They grabbed each other's hand and began spinning around, deflecting the energy blades. They kept this up for an exhaustingly long time, not daring to let a single energy blade touch them. Finally, when the last blade was deflected, Xemnas was upon them again, he caught Riku off guard and swung one blade across his waist. Sora watched in horror as Riku's entire lower body turned transparent. That was the last straw; this fight had gone on for far too long! He grabbed Riku's Keyblade and began slashing relentlessly at Xemnas. Xemnas shifted away from each strike and unleashed a combo of lightning-swift thrusts, which Sora barely held his own against. Suddenly a flash of white light engulfed Sora's vision and when it cleared, he saw that his Keyblade wielder's garb was white and he now held two Keyblades; in his right hand he held the Oathkeeper and in his left he held the Oblivion. He and Xemnas circled each other, exchanging horizontal and diagonal strikes until Xemnas' energy blades shattered.

Before Xemnas could make another attack or pull another trick, Sora swung the Oathkeeper and the Oblivion down in an X. He sliced into Xemnas, who fell to pieces and slowly crumbled into dust. Sora watched as the cloud of dust that was once Xemnas faded from existence. It was finally over; the last remnant of Xehanort was nothing more than a memory. The Oathkeeper and Oblivion faded away and Sora silently gave thanks to Roxas, without whom, he may not have prevailed. He glided over to Riku and grabbed a hold of him.

"Sora…I can't…"

"Don't say another word." said Sora. "We're getting out of here and that's that."

He lifted one hand and summoned the Kingdom Key. He pointed it above them, hoping that it would take them out of this realm. A white beam shot out of the tip and a white portal appeared above them. Still clutching Riku, Sora ascended through the keyhole. When they surfaced, they found themselves on a black-sanded beach under a dark, foggy sky.

"The Realm of Darkness?" Riku wondered.

"It's better than that other place." Sora decided.

He released Riku (who was whole again) and they walked toward the shore and sat in the sand.

"You know…I used to think I'd always be the stronger one." Riku admitted.

"Yeah…I always kinda thought that too." Sora replied.

"To tell you the truth, Sora. I've gotten jealous of you."

Sora turned to his friend, taken aback by this confession.

"Jealous of what, exactly?"

"Well…" said Riku, "I wish I could live my life the way you do. You just follow your heart and…everything seems to go your way."

"It's not as simple as that." Sora said honestly. "I'm only confident enough to succeed when I have friends at my side. When I'm on my own though…"

He let his words trail off, hoping Riku would get the message. The two of them sat quietly for some time until Sora noticed a small glass bottle wash ashore.

"Wonder what that is." said Riku.

Sora picked up the bottle and saw that there was a piece of parchment inside. He took it out and began to read.

_Thinking of you, wherever you are._

_We pray for our sorrows to end…and hope that our hearts will blend._

_Now I will step forward to realize this dream. And who knows? Starting a new journey may not be so hard…or maybe it has already begun._

_There are many worlds, but they share the same sky. One sky…__**One Destiny.**_

The instant Sora finished reading, a doorway appeared; a doorway composed of brilliant golden light.

"The door to light." Sora muttered.

"What?"

"C'mon!" said Sora, jumping to his feet. "We'll go together!"

Riku got to his feet and they raced to the door. For a few moments, they were surrounded by white and gold light, until they fell into a bright blue-green sea. They swam to the surface and were met by the sight of Sora's island, bathed in sunlight and looking more beautiful than he remembered. Kairi, Goku, Krillin, and Gohan were all racing toward them. Riku waded over to Goku and embraced him while Kairi, Krillin, and Gohan flung their arms around Sora. After saving the Realm of Light twice…Sora was where he belonged and now there was just one thing left to do. Finally, he could return Kairi's lucky charm.


	30. The Future Story

After what seemed like years, maybe ages of wandering through the realm of darkness, Aqua had finally found a source of light. It was a small, white moon that hung in the horizon and lit up the deep blue sky. She did not know what significance it had, if any, and she did not care. She wanted to be as close to the light as possible.

"Light…"

This was the first word she had spoken in years. She had gone so long without human contact that she might have forgotten her own humanity. But seeing light for the first time in years reminded her that she was alive. She remembered her friends as well.

Terra…and Ven…Those were their names. Aqua could feel the cold touch of sorrow in her heart once more and a tear emerged slowly from her eye. She had even forgotten how to cry in her years of loneliness. As she trekked further along the dark, rocky beach, she saw a figure sitting on the shore. She thought she was the only living being in this place, but it looked like she was wrong. As she got closer to the figure she saw that it was a man. He looked like he was in his middle ages. He had straw-colored hair, a short beard, and wore a tattered black robe. He stared out into the horizon, oblivious to her and the world around him. After staring down at him for a few moments, she found the courage to speak.

"H-hello."

Slowly, the man turned his head to acknowledge her and she gazed into his amber eyes. They looked empty of thought or feeling. The day she first met Ven, his eyes looked the same way. The man stared at her for a moment or two, perhaps unsure what to make of her and then he turned back to the horizon.

"It's not often I get visitors…" He muttered softly.

His voice though soft and sophisticated was also deep and morbid. He did not seem dangerous, nor did he seem to mind her company, so she sat down next to him.

"My name is Aqua." She nervously stated. "What's yours?"

Not taking his gaze off the horizon, the man replied, "Call me DiZ."

"How did you end up here?" Aqua inquired.

The man who called himself DiZ turned slightly to her and said, "Well, I can tell you that this is my second time here…but I cannot remember how I got here. I cannot remember where I came from or what sort of man I was."

"That's…too bad." Aqua said sadly, "I've been wandering through darkness for what seems like forever. I haven't slept in ages…I've forgotten a lot of things too. I almost forgot the names of my dearest friends."

DiZ continued to stare into the distance, but his gaze grew somewhat more intense.

"Friends…" He repeated. His eyes now had a spark of life in them. She watched him with growing fascination.

"Are you…remembering something?" she asked.

"A boy…" DiZ replied, his voice trembling slightly. "…a boy I once knew. He too was true to his friends. He traveled from world to world and fought to keep the light safe with his…Keyblade."

"Keyblade!" Aqua gasped. "Please, what was his name?"

"His name is…Sora."

A tear slid down Aqua's cheek once more, though not from sorrow this time.

"Sora…" she whispered. Then she remembered that sweet little boy she had met on that island all those years ago. So, he was a Keyblade master now. She wiped the tear from her cheek and turned back to DiZ.

"Please, tell me about Sora." She implored.

DiZ turned his gaze to the moon that lit up the dark sky.

"Back then, my mind was clouded with thoughts of vengeance. I brought unhappiness to more lives than one, but he made me remember what it meant to have a heart." A slight smile then appeared on his face and he added, "In fact, I would like to believe that he can set things right…a boy like that who touches so many hearts, he could open the right door and save all those people whose lives have been ruined."

For the first time in ages, a smile spread across Aqua's face as well. From the moment she had met Sora, she sensed something special about him. If anyone could save her, it was him.

* * *

><p>About a year had passed since Sora and Riku defeated Xemnas and King Kai had summoned Goku to his world with urgent news.<p>

"Goku…I believe I have finally located Aqua's heart."

"That's great!" said Goku excitedly, "How about Terra and Ventus?"

"Mmmm…still not sure, but Aqua is somewhere in the Realm of Darkness."

"Hm, that's not good." said Goku. "We could spend the rest of our lives searching there."

"I also wanted to discuss the issue of Xehanort."

"Xehanort? His two halves are gone, remember?"

"Indeed, but there lies our problem." said King Kai. "I have discovered that all over the worlds, people who were separated into a Heartless and Nobody are being reborn, exactly the way they were before. Which means…Xehanort is no exception."

"I see." said Goku gravely. "Sora and Riku aren't going to be happy to hear this."

"Goku, first thing tomorrow, I want you to bring Sora and Riku here."

"Um, sure." said Goku, a little confused. "But what for?"

"To show the mark…of mastery."


End file.
